Headlines, the Salon

After a flight from San Diego, California to Detroit Metro Airport and a short drive to the tng worldwide corporate headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the fun began designing Gayle and Letty’s dream salon. The two spent a couple of days with Leslie McGwire™ (ASID Allied), who designed their 2,800 sq. ft. empty space.

Headlines The Salon has been voted as one of the top 200 salons in the country for the last five years by Salon Today Magazine. Having been in business for the last 25 years in the same location, Gayle and Letty wanted to move their location to the other side of the strip mall in the beautiful coastal community of Encinitas, California – and they did not want to bring any of their existing equipment and furniture with them.

It was six months before the new salon doors would open, and we were busy creating their new space. During their two days together, Leslie designed the entire space. Gayle and Letty flew home knowing exactly what their salon would look like when the doors opened.

We started with the floor plan, making sure all of their wishes for the space fit properly – which included a large, curved reception desk, styling stations and styling chairs, a chemical processing table with six acrylic chairs, a private shampoo room called the “Lather Lounge,” a treatment room, large dispensary, office, custom make-up area, custom drink area and a large retail area with four waiting chairs.

They made equipment choices that would create a unique, cleaned-lined design. They chose Pavilion Louve styling chairs due to their quality and overall simple and streamlined look. The brown vinyl on the chairs perfectly complimented the designer vinyl wood grain pattern on the floor. The chairs have a simple lined back with no visible screws and bolts, which makes them look great from all angles.

One of the most important design elements in the salon is the beautiful custom made styling stations. The white light glows from either side of the frameless mirror. The station work area is on the sides of the unit. This creates a very clean, slick look with no clutter at all. A very small glass shelf is attached to one side of the stations to hold a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. The interior of the side of the station is chocolate brown, as is the top quality Pavilion shampoo unit. The space includes a very unique chemical processing table with a textured stainless steel top. Six acrylic hydraulic chairs with deep purple cushions around the table add to the uniqueness of this area. Perhaps the largest focal point in the salon is the gorgeous bubble chandelier that centers over the chemical processing table and can be seen from every angle of the salon. Chandeliers are the hottest accessories in salons today. It is a residential touch that clients love and makes them feel at home.

Some of the design elements that are unique to Headlines The Salon include the paint colors. The front of the salon where the reception desk, retail units, make-up area and drink areas are features walls painted in a deep purple hue. Some of the other walls in the front are painted in a fresh green color. The white paint throughout the main part of the salon keeps the décor’s general feeling fresh and bright. The two walls going into the lather lounge are framed in a drywall material that looks like waves. They are highly textured and also serve as a focal point of the salon. In the Lather Lounge, a beautiful mural of white bark trees on the back wall faces clients. The room’s lighting, its deep purple ceiling and overall atmosphere is one of total relaxation. Making sure Gayle and Letty chose the best floor for their new space, McGwire educated them on flooring made by Amtico flooring. The designer vinyl flooring is great for heavy traffic areas and is excellent for areas that are prone to staining, while requiring very little maintenance.

https://www.theindustrysource.com/article/award-winning-luxury

“Leslie McGwire is not only a brilliant salon, spa and retail  interior designers. Also, she is  a wonderful and smart person as well. She is very talented and creative working from the “Concept to Completion” process. She was very enjoyable to work with and her eye to detail to our new salon look has just blown our customers away.  Since the interior design changes to my store, sells have significantly increased. I would recommend Leslie McGwire to anyone.”
—Gayle Nelson Fullbright, Owner of Headline The Salon, Encinitas, California