WE HAD ALREADY BEEN INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERIOR DESIGN OF SHOPS INSIDE THE SHOPPING CENTRE BEFORE WE HAD THE CHANCE TO START DESIGNING THE INTERIOR OF THIS HAIR SALON. HAD WE NOT SEEN GREAT OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY THIS SALON WE WOULD PROBABLY NEVER HAD STARTED THIS WORK WITH SUCH ENTHUSIASM, AS, ACCORDING TO OUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES, UNDER SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES THE PRESSURE ORIGINATING FROM THE EXTERNAL CONDITIONS NEVER PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY, NOT TO MENTION, PROGRESSIVE ARCHITECTURE.

IN THIS CASE HOWEVER, WE HAD THE CHANCE TO “EXPERIMENT”. THIS WAS PARTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THIS FUNCTION, IN THIS FORM, IS STILL CONSIDERED AS THE ODD ONE OUT IN THE WORLD OF HUNGARIAN SHOPPING CENTRES AND THERE WAS NO ESTABLISHED AND ADAPTABLE IMAGE. ON THE OTHER HAND WE WERE TO CONVINCE A HUNGARIAN-GERMAN JURY OF INTERIOR DESIGNERS (THAT SOMETIMES MEANS ADVANTAGES AND OTHER TIMES DISADVANTAGES) ABOUT THE MODERNITY AND QUALITY OF OUR CONCEPT. NATURALLY WE ALSO NEEDED THE OPENNESS OF OUR CLIENT DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS.

AT THE BEGINNING, THE INTERIOR DESIGN COORDINATOR OF THE SHOPPING CENTRE DOUBTED THAT THIS FUNCTION WOULD BE ABLE TO OPERATE IN THAT PARTICULAR SHOP WITH THE CAPACITY DESIRED BY OUR CLIENT. HOWEVER WE MANAGED TO PERSUADE THEM MAINLY BECAUSE THE DESIGN ACHIEVED OUTSTANDING SUCCESS ALERADY AT THE FIRST MEETING. AFTER THAT WE “ONLY” HAD TO HARMONISE THE INTERESTS OF THE CLIENT (CAPACITY, FUNCIONALITY) AND THE REGULATIONS OF THE SHOPPING CENTRE. THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF THE IMAGE AND THE DESIGN IS A SPECIAL JOY FOR US BECAUSE THE CLIENT, AT OUR FIRST MEEETING, INFORMED US THAT HE HAD NO CONCEPT IN MIND AND ASKED US TO PROPOSE ONE.

HOWEVER, THE DIRECTION WAS “SOMETHING” THAT COULD EASILY BE ABSORBED, THAT ORIGINATED IN HIS ADMITTEDLY CONSERVATIVE TASTE AND BASED ON FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS. THE FIRST SKETCH PLAN, WHICH COMPLETELY CONTRADICTED THE CONCEPT OF OUR CLIENT BUT WHICH WAS VERY CLOSE TO WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED, WAS THE ONE THAT GAVE GREEN LIGHT TO THE CONCEPT AND ESTABLISHED A COMMON GROUND BETWEEN THE CLIENT AND THE SHOPPING CENTRE.

– FUNCTION
THE SHOP HAS AN AREA OF ~120 M2 WHERE 11 WORK STATIONS, 4 HAIR WASH BASIN STATIONS, A RECEPTION AND A WAITING ROOM ARE LOCATED IN THE SAME SPACE. WE HAVE ALSO ESTABLISHED A SEPARATE ROOM FOR THE COSMETICIAN WITH A TABLE FOR ARTIFICIAL NAIL TREATMENT AND TWO ROOMS FOR SOLARIUM INCLUDING THE NECESSARY BATHROOMS. THE SHOPPING CENTRE EXPECTED THE ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS (COSMETICS, SOLARIUM) TO BE DEVELOPED IN A VERY INTIMATE WAY.

IN CONTRAST WITH THIS IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE HAIR SALON BE MORE OPEN, THAT THE ACTIVITIES INSIDE BEE SEEN ACTING AS AN ATTRACTING FORCE, AN ADVERSTISEMENT. ON THE OTHER HAND, HOWEVER, PROFESSIONAL (HAIRDRESSING) CONSIDERATIONS NECESSITATED A FORM OF INTIMACY, TOO. THE CONCEPT WAS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY THE SOUTHERN FACADE OF THE SHOP WHICH IS A GLASS WALL OVERLOOKING THE STREET (14,90 M).

THIS PRODUCED A 12,50 M-LONG THIN WALL PLACED BEHIND THE PORTAL. THE WALL IS A PROMINENT ELEMENT OF THIS SPACE. CONSIDERING ITS FUNCTIONS IT MAKES PLACE FOR THE WORKS STATIONS, WORKS AS A SUN-PROTECTION AND APPEARS AS A SHOP WINDOW AS SEEN FROM THE STREET.

– MATERIALS USED
REGARDING THE MATERIALS DETERMINED BY THE DESIGN THE MAJOR AIMS INCLUDED FUNCTIONALITY AND THE CONSISTENT PRESERVATION OF THE RESULTING IMAGE. THE USE OF MATERIALS DETERMINED BY THE STRICT TECHNOLOGY OF THE ACTIVITY CARRIED OUT IN THE SALON WAS A CONCEPTUAL ELEMENT.
CONSIDERING FOREIGN EXAMPLES, THE DESIGN PROMOTING FUNCTIONALITY AND TECHNOLGY MAY BE CONSIDERED A COMPLETELY NORMAL AESTHETIC CATEGORY.

THE MAJOR REQUIREMENTS FOR TECHNOLOGY, CLEANABILITY, RESISTANCE TO WATER AND TO VARIOUS CHEMICALS, HOMOGENOUOS SURFACES, DURABLE MATERIALS AND THE CREATION OF APPROPRIATE LIGHTING, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN RELATION TO WORKING CONDITIONS, WERE ALL OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. BESIDES ESTABLISHING LIGHTING WITH APPROPRIATE INTENSITY IT WAS INDISPENSABLE TO CREATE MATHCING COLOURS AND HOMOGENOUS DIFFUSE LIGHT. THE SOUTHERN GLASS WALL FACADE DID NOT HELP THE ESTABLISHMENT OF IDEAL LIGHTING INSIDE THE SALON. THE ABOVE MENTIONED THIN WALL PREVENTS THE WORK STATIONS FORM THE INCOMING DIRECT SUNLIGHT.

WHAT REALLY HELPED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NORMAL LIGHTING, WHICH HELPS THE DAILY WORK OF THE SALON BY PRODUCING HOMOGENEOUS AND REAL COLOURS, WAS THE LIGHTING PLACED ABOVE THE TRANSLUCENT SUSPENDED CEILING. THE BARRISOL MEMBRANE ABOVE THE WORK STATIONS IS LOCATED AT A HEIGHT OF 2,70 M WITH A WIDTH OF 1,20M AND LENGTH OF 12,80M. AS A RESULT OF THE SHORT HEADROOM IT EXERTS A STRONG INFLUENCE ON THE LIGHT DEVELOPING AROUND THE WORK STATIONS CREATING AN EFFECT VERY SIMILAR TO NATURAL LIGHT. THE FURNITURE HAVE A HIGH GLOSS SPRAY PAINTED SURFACE AND WITH THEIR REFLECTIONS AND MEMBRANE-LIKE PANELS THEY BECOME IMPRESSIVE ELEMENTS OF THE INTERIOR.

THE SELF-UNFOLDING FLOOR COVERING APPLIED HERE IS SUPPOSED TO SERVE THE HARMONY OF DESIGN AND FUNCTION. USEFULNESS – HOMOGENEOUS, WELL CLEANABLE AND RESISTANT MATERIAL – APPEARS AS AN AESTHETIC VALUE. THE SURFACES ARE WHITE BUT HAVE DIFFERENT – GLOSS AND MATT – SHADES THAT, DUE TO THEIR REFLECTED LIGHT, PROVIDE THE SPACE WITH THE NECESSARY DIVERSITY.
FURNITURE HAVE BEEN SELECTED ACCORDING TO THE CONCEPT OF INTERIOR DESIGN. THE CHAIRS (“LOOK”) OF ROSS LOVEGROVE, PHILIPPE STARCK AND DIDIER GOMEZ, DESIGNERS OF AN ITALIAN COMPANY (MALETTI) THAT PRODUCES CHAIRS FOR HAIR SALONS, HAVE BECOME THE MOST DOMINANT ELEMENTS OF THE SALON, APPEARING AS EXHIBITS IN THIS SPACE.

THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT WAS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A “STERILE” AND CLEAN WORKPLACE WHICH REFERS TO AND HELPS THE HIGH QUALITY AND THE PERFECTION OF THE ACTIVITIES CARRRIED OUT THERE.
MOVEMENT BECOMES MORE PRONOUNCED IN THIS “CLEAR” SPACE, THE USERS APPEAR AS PART OF THE COMPOSITION FILLING IT WITH LIFE. ORIENTATION BECOMES EASIER AND THE MESSAGE IS MORE UNDERSTANDABLE. INSTEAD OF THE SHOP WINDOW IT IS THE MONITORS, BEING PROMINENT ELEMENTS OF THE WHOLE CONCEPT, PLACED ONTO THE WHITE SURFACE THAT COMMUNICATE WITH THE GUESTS.

THE IMAGES OF SHOPPING CENTRES REACH MANY PEOPLE AND EXERT STRONG INFLUENCE ON THEM. DURING OUR ASSIGNMENT WE PAID CONSTANT ATTENTION TO THIS FACT AND NOT FOR FINANCIAL REASONS – OTHERS HAVE DONE IT INSTEAD OF US – BUT FOR ARCHITECTURAL REASONS.

INTERIOR DESIGN:
ÁKOS HUTTER WEB: WWW.COROFLOT.COM/AKOS_HUTTER
DONÁT RÉTFALVI WEB: WWW.RGA.HU
BUILDING ENGINEERING: SZABOLCS VÍGH
VISUALISATION: MIKLÓS ÁDÁM, ZSOLT SIMON
LOCATION: GYŐR, HUNGARY
BUILT AREA: 120 SQM
COMPLETION: 2006

„LOOK” HAIR DRESSERS’ CHAIR: DIDIER GOMEZ, MALETTI GROUP