Madison Reed is the design of a new concept prototype consisting of the development of a brick and mortar Color Bar that challenges the typical ‘salon’. The design goals were to translate the success of their online retail shop into a physical space that redefines the salon experience, leading with efficiency and empowerment. This new concept design would then be rolled out across the country in spaces ranging from 1500-3000SF including a color bar, a shampoo room, a self-dry vanity area and retail as part of the program.
From the moment a client walks through the door, the notion of ‘salon’ has been challenged every step of the way from the no-smell color treatment to the living room-like retail area. The color bar has an open layout, where most vanities do not include a mirror. This allows for more human interaction, attention to products on display and a grand reveal moment at the end of the process. Hair color is mixed directly in front of the client allowing them to experience and understand every part of the process. A floating vanity finished in a soft wood along with individual mirrors provide a semi-private area to dry and style hair before emerging back into the world with freshly colored hair.
Madison Reed is exactly the kind of project we love – partnering with a client who is intentionally trying to disrupt an industry and create something entirely new and ownable. We were able to successfully achieve this new un-salon environment by rethinking what is otherwise a typical layout and floor. Instead of placing hair stations along a wall with a mirror, we faced them towards each other and removed the mirror. Directly behind the bar is a mixing station where the product is mixed right in front of the client. This level of transparency redefines traditional salon coloring and brings the custom product right to the client, allowing them to envision themselves coloring their own hair at home in between Color Bar appointments. This design of the space and flow of the users reinforce this omni-channel approach that is key to Madison Reed.
Heitler Houstoun Architects 