A salon in Lisbon, Portugal, combines second-hand Japanese furniture with 5000 Swarovski crystals and 50 plaster hands. ‘Like most shops I design, I try to surprise the customer by not making too obvious what is sold – almost like an art installation in a gallery,’ says designer Igor Ferreira. Mostly monochromatic white, the concept hardly resembles a traditional hairdressing space.
Ferreira used reclaimed cabinetry from the 1950s and barber chairs that have been made in the same factory for over 50 years. Hanging over the washing sinks is a giant deer head covered in crystals; on the walls, hands made of plaster, fibreglass and polyester hold tools like scissors and combs. ‘The biggest challenge was trying to melt the different elements – which at first sight didn’t really have any connection – into a cohesive whole that makes some sense,’ Ferreira says.