Vanessa Ghorayeb, CEO of Cindarella Paris, continues the family tradition started by her grandmother of manufacturing quality salon furniture while building lasting relationships with clients and conquering new markets.

“My grandmother built a beautiful brand image, supported by very strong values that are part of the company’s DNA,” Ghorayeb says. “Our core values are creativity, excellence, and commitment to customer satisfaction. My main concern when I became CEO was to maintain the company’s fundamentals while adding a touch of modernity, both in terms of our products and our approach to clients.”

 Cindarella Paris designs are made in their workshops located close to Paris. MODERN SALON asked Ghorayeb to share her expertise on what’s trending in salon design and how her company responds to the demand.

MS: Please share a bit about the history of the brand

VG: Cindarella has always been a women’s business as well as a family business. My grandparents bought the company in 1985 and immediately began to focus the business exclusively on the beauty salon industry, at a time when salon franchises were booming in France. Our company was among the first to work with leading brands such as Jacques Dessange and Jean Louis David. In fact, Cindarella is the only French manufacturer of professional salon furniture. My grandmother ran the company; she was active on all fronts, a woman of character who commanded respect in the industry. She started off with one manufacturing workshop and a dozen employees. Today, Cindarella comprises a large factory and a business operation which employs close to 50 people.

From a young age, I spent my summers working at Cindarella offices and traveled to trade shows with my grandmother. I was fascinated by the salon industry and also enjoyed learning about furniture design and architecture. After working at various positions and departments over the past 13 years, the transition took place very naturally and in 2010, I became the company’s CEO.

Today, Cindarella enjoys a strong presence in Europe, Middle East and North America.

MS: What is Cindarella best known for? 

VG: Cindarella is best known for high quality and long lasting products with an exceptional design. Our iconic products include Manon, the first salon plexiglas chair, Melody, the first electric shampoo chair and the award-winning Palanquin lounge shampoo chair.

Since we design and manufacture our products, our furniture can be endlessly customized, which gives our clients limitless possibilities in terms of salon layout and furniture functionalities. Our styling chairs are available in more than 100 different fabrics and can be customized with the salon logo.

 The entire production line has been created to meet the requirements of salon franchises. Our greatest assets are our responsiveness and robust products. Products are delivered promptly, with a one to five-year warrantee. Above all, we can control our production costs in order to offer a market price that is aligned with the budgets of all clients.

MS: What pieces of salon furniture do you believe a new salon owner should invest in?

VG: A new salon owner should invest in quality styling chairs and backwash units. They are essential tools for a hairdresser and are as important as the proper shears. Salon furniture should not be seen only as a decorative piece. If a backwash unit or styling chair breaks down, the hairdresser will no longer be able to work. At Cindarella, we manufacture backwash units that can support 50 shampoos per day. I believe that a hairdresser should only use reliable and quality tools. 

MS: How do you work with salon owners to create their layout and design?

VG: Most of the time, salon owners send us their salon layout. Then, our in-house design team conducts a design study, puts together a mood board and provides 2D layout showing different sections of the salon. The mood board shows the main concept of the salon with inspiring images. If needed, we can provide a 3D layout to help the owner better visualize his future salon. Finally, we advise salon owners on the most suitable furniture for their needs and the atmosphere they want to create in their hair salon.

MS: How would you describe the current trend in salon design?

VG: Currently, there are three top trends in salon design: boudoir, nature, and loft style.

The Boudoir style is inspired by the charms of the past with contemporary finishes and strong materials such as wood and metal. Powder pink, baby blue, gray, purple, beige, golden, and silver are the colors to mix to create a boudoir decor that is cozy, elegant, and glamorous

 The Nature style, with raw and natural wood, brings a touch of nature into a modern space. It has been a recurring trend and aligns with an interest in an eco-friendly lifestyle. Light wood blends perfectly with hot and cold colors such as dark blue, light grey or green. In a space decorated with dark wood, beige and dark grey furniture will fit perfectly.

 Finally, the Loft style is created with an open space concept, minimalist furniture, and simple colors like dark grey, brown, red, black and beige, along with materials such as stainless steel, metal, wood and leather and concrete walls and floors.

MS: Describe the latest collection from Cindarella.

VG: We recently launched three new collections we call Mademoiselle, Philosophy and Watson. Each collection has its own styles to fit different salon ambiance.

Mademoiselle combines elegance and functionality. The styling chair and backwash unit wrap around the client and provide a good back support. This collection is represented by curvy lines and refined finishes.

The Philosophy collection is a timeless and modern line that invites relaxation.This collection has been designed to combine comfort and technology.

 Our Watson collection combines materials such as wood and metal with pieces of Corian. It’s built around a set of graphic lines and geometrical shapes. This line brings a warm and inviting feel in the hair salon.

 When creating these three collections, our guiding principles were to create beautiful furniture, to bring more comfort for the customer and hairstylist, and to enhance the customer’s experience into the hair salon.

 http://www.cindarella.com/