1. Inspiration

Before you start buying random furniture that will not match and will make your salon look weird and inauthentic take one step back and define first your brand. In order to do that you must choose a theme. You can ask yourself the questions: How do I want my salon to look like? What business personality do I want to show my customer? Will it be an elegant, modern, funky or more of classic salon? After taking this decision make sure to get enough inspiration in order to visualize your salon. To make this task easier for yourself you can create a moodboard with some ideas on Pinterest.

2. It's all about the colors

The next big step is to decide your main colors. For this task you can think about your brand. How does my logo look like? Which colors did I use? Which color suits my personality or my business? Choose your colors wisely as the they will become your signature. You can also see it as a way to express what kind of personality you and your salon have, without someone even stepping inside. Besides that it’s also a way for you to get recognized based on your colors alone.

3. Budget & Visualization

Another important step in the process of decorating your unique salon is to determine your budget. Make sure to not rush over this task. In order to do that in the most efficient way you can start by checking your architectural floor plan and making a list of all the furniture that are a must in order to deliver your services.

Once you completed both tasks, you can start visualizing your salon. How will you do that? Simple, by making a plan with help of a 3D program. Don't worry if Sketch-up is to difficult or expensive to use there are a tons of other programs, which are easier to use such as Floorplanner.

While creating your 3D Model also add the color you choose on a previous step. And implement an eyecatcher. In that way you can already have pretty good idea on how your salon will look like once it is completed.

Bonus tip: Think about your walking route. How to get to the different corners in your salon (example: counter, storage, waiting space etc.) and don’t overstuff your salon with furniture. That can make it feel claustrophobic.

4. Let the styling begin

Now that you made your 3D Model you can also print the furniture list (that’s a special function on Floorplanner). That will save you time when looking for the stores, price and items. Don’t forget to add a lot of accessories in your main and sub colors to give your design the finishing touch. What are accessories? Actually everything you can think of. Here some examples: Pillows (for on the couch at the waiting area), a coffee table, candles, flowers, carpet, wall decoration, art, magazine stand etc.

Besides that there is another important aspect of your interior design that you should pay a lot of attention to and that is light. Light? Yes! Why? Simply, because if you don’t have enough or the right color light covering every single spot in your salon it will appear dark, cold and unwelcoming. It is also important to choose the right bulb. Warm, or soft white, light, is especially appropriate if you want to create a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

Bonus tip: Buy eco paint from the brand Farrow & Ball. And also have a look at second hand stores. Why? Well for one its cheaper and the furniture can be in an outstanding condition and second its environment friendly. Thats a win-win situation.

5. Sharing is caring

Congratulations! If you are reading this then your salon is basically ready. Now you are facing the last step down this road. And that’s getting attention from your potential customers. But how will you get their attention? There are a lot of ways to do that but if you didn’t calculate a lot of Marketing Expenses in your Budget, then you can make this happen in a simple way: By sharing content and pictures on your social media accounts. Another way is to invite influencers and let them make publicity for you.