Chiseled is the latest project by OLSK, designed in collaboration with Elvin Tan Design. The new space brings together four individual hair professionals into one salon environment.
The brief we developed was about defining this new brand through the architecture and interiors. The name – Chiseled – came from the group and formed the starting point for concept development. We thought about the process of hair cutting and styling, which formed the main design theory which is based on layers, texture and colour.
Project Name: Chiseled Hair Melbourne
Studio Name: OLSK
Project size: 100 m2
Site size: 100 m2
Completion date: 2019
Building levels: 1
Location: Bentleigh, Australia
Photography: Anthony Richardson
Driven by the concept of layers, textures and colour, the materiality plays an important role at Chiseled. Materials have been layered in different sections of the hair salon. We layered the material selection in sections so your eye couldn’t take it all in at one go. Given that four different personalities were coming together into the one new space, we had to ensure each individual had the opportunity to give input, and that the final design outcome was a reflection of their aesthetics, all while maintaining a level of design consistency. One way this has been achieved is that the floors and ceilings are treated in a singular finish – terrazzo for the floor and pressed metal for the ceiling – this brings a level of cohesiveness throughout the entire space. From the barber side, cool metallic finishes and concrete-look paint add a fresh, yet subtly masculine feel, while the hair salon side is dramatically warmed up by vertical Spanish tiling.
Space planning and layouts were also a key consideration, so the large salon space has been divided into several zones. Closer to the entry and reception are both the barber and hair salon services providing visibility from the street. The washing and colouring requirements have strategically been located to the rear, with the colouring stations featuring a green wall and natural timbers – with minimal mirrors in sight – which helps to keep customers at ease.
A stand-out feature of the entire project, and one that came outside of the initial brief but was integrated during the design phase, is the Hub. The Hub utilises the space under the existing stairs and is located in the centre of the hair salon so it acts like a heart, servicing all areas. Instead of just making this a waiting area, we turned it into a bar where customers wait at the start of their session, then come back during treatment and then return again at the end to rebook.
