Fresh, inspiring, charming, discreetly fancy. These are some of the hallmarks with which Leonora Studio, a Mexican chain of beauty salons, grew and consolidated in Mexico City. Facing its continued growth Leonora systematized its attributes in 2021, undertaking an impeccable business strategy. Within it, a brand building process began; their operations and service offer were standardized and the identity, both graphic and architectural level, renewed.
It was from a bidding that Void Studio got in charge of defining the general lines to take the essential character of the beauty salon to a material and spatial level.
Architectural Concept
A striking facade. Front desk and waiting area, as cozy as attractive. Color bar and attendants bar. Microblading rooms with clinical appearance and operation. Hair stations, pedicure stations, manicure stations and eyelash stations, all coordinated and in clear view for the ambassador, the person permanently taking care of the experience of clients and supervising the diligent activity of more than thirty employees in each branch. Meeting the demands of Leonora’s range of services and its number of clients was a great challenge Void Studio decided to address, precisely, taking movement as the core concept. Energy, dynamism, circulation and curves; after understanding the nature and operation of its branches and the substantial points of its identity, the office generated an architectural proposal that communicates the brand attributes and covers the needs of a beauty salon of this magnitude.
Its everyday activity was embedded, at different levels, all around the space: on the wood grain, the sinuous steps, the arches of the iconic mirrors and, delicately, on the translucent fabric clouds hanging on the ceiling. The sense of amplitude is achieved by the use of glass –inward and outward– and by a rithmic disposal of mirrors that extend and amplify the perception, not only of the space but also of everything that is happening inside it. This selection of materials, besides, emphasizes the suggestion of the branch as a window display within which the client takes a protagonic and starring role, framed by the subtle sparkle of the brass sheets crowning each workstation.
The lightning is functional but it also creates a comfortable atmosphere that, altogether with the color selection, intensifies the textures and its almost synesthetic quality, giving the place a sweet, soft and femenine taste. A taste that is constantly being complemented by the energy of the women and men that circulate all over the place. Leonora Studio is inspiration, freshness, charm and sophistication. And that is consistent with the furniture, which, in line with the colors and materials, composes a careful choice of woods, textiles and plastics robust enough for the beauty saloon operation, without undermining its identity. David Pompa’s Origo Pendant lamps frame the entry and exit of the clients within flashes and bubbles of light, accomplishing, right in front of the Leonora sign, a key function in terms of the brand communication.
Building
Apart from considering Leonora Studio’s functional and aesthetical particularities, the project also entailed presenting a baseline design that could be applied to different spaces with different conditions. Within its business plan, it was the opening of at least six new branches in Mexico City, only in 2022.
Void Studio, again, won the tender to build the branches, and this job implied not just the adaptation of the architectural and interiorism lines to different spaces but to face challenging demands in terms of time and sources, demands that responded to the global strategy of the business. Regarding the former, the process was carried out by understanding and disposing modules meeting the central idea of movement, but considering, all along, the order and attention to details. Symmetries, matching lines, meticulous exploded views, consistent angles between walls and furniture; everything to reach the effect of balance and harmony in a place where energy runs intense and relentlessly. The careful work of each plan involved as much creativity as thoroughness, but provided the greater use of material and a very precise time and cost planning, something fundamental for the business.
Horacio Branch
Located in the Polanco neighborhood, Leonora Studio’s Horacio branch shows the experience gained from a side by side work between the architectural office and the brand, as well as the impact of maintaining a design concept at the core. In this case, movement. Entirely open through the glass wall, the iconic mirrors, the staircase and the service stations shape curves that arrange but also dress the place. Its double-height stays completely visible from the outside, which recalls the image of the window display and replicates the amplification mechanism that, with the interplay of reflections, prolongs the space and the good experience of the clients.
Colors create a sweet warmth that shines under the natural light and is increased with the lightning design and the sparkles of the brass sheets around the mirrors, columns and working tables. Almost invisible, on the floor, the precision of the lines and the furniture arrangement bring order and circulation together. Just the same way, the calm quality of the wood organic textures is integrated with the sequence of steps, stations and chairs all over the place. Energy and movement. Consistent with Leonora’s brand, the architectural design reaches a brave and delicate image that, in front of an enormous window, is impossible not to look at.
Team:
Architect: VOID Studio
Design Team: Luisa Fernanda Rodriguez Uranga, Joel Armando Martinez Valdez, Rodrigo Duran
Construction Team: ArqMains
Photography: Zaickz Moz
Texts: Fernanda Escárcega Ch.
