Hair, style and colour studio for award-winning colourist and stylist Sofia Geideby. 220 square meter basement in Stockholm, formerly used as an office space, was stripped down to its over hundred-year-old original state, revealing beautiful concrete walls and an industrial steel structure. The colour scheme is a muted version of the three primary colours – yellow, blue and red. The entire space was painted in a creamy, powder yellow tint. A muted backdrop adding to the colorful creations of Little Faktory.
Light, free-standing additions in basic geometrical shapes form the base for the cutting stations and partition wall. Along one of the concrete walls the cutting stations are kept to a minimum, comprised of a wall mounted, floating side table, circular wall mounted mirrors and square shaped display shelves. The placement of the mirrors creates infinity effects of colours and shapes, adding to the openness and playful feel of the studio. Along the back wall three sets of custom made, glazed double doors, reveal a colour lab, a VIP-studio, and an office space.For the photo studio a custom colour Gustaf Westman mirror was commissioned. Neon designer Josefin Eklund was commissioned to light up the entrance stairway.
What was the initial inspiration for the project?
We had some early, inspirational images that set the tone of the project. One image in particular was of a 1920's bath (bath house?) with beautiful cream-coloured tiles, orange and red details and, of course, the blue pool. This ended up being our main colour scheme. We also glanced at the work of Carlo Scarpa and his work with geometrical shapes and contrasting colour elements. This resulted in the exploration of the infinity mirror effect and colour elements as the ornamentation of the pillars, and the bright red display shelves between the mirrors on the wall.
How would you describe the salon's design, in a nutshell?
The challenge was to reduce, rather than to add things. Our aim was to declutter the former office space and create one big open space, making the four pillars the heroes of the main room again. Being a basement space, we wanted to create a light and airy studio where the old structure and the beautiful textures of the concrete walls and ceiling blend together with the new playful additions.
How did you blend the contemporary design elements with the building's rich history?
We worked with materials often used in old buildings, such as clover leaf perforated metal and reeded glass, but put them in a more contemporary context by adding colour or detailing it in a certain way.
Painting the concrete and the steel structure in a creamy yellow colour was a way of blending the new with the old - softening the rough concrete without losing its travertine-like texture. The plus-shaped cutting stations are free-standing objects, lightly touching the old structure.
Why did you chose your material and colour palettes?
The materials are a consequence of the function it is going to serve - the rubber flooring, reeded glass, through-dyed fibre board and powder coated steel elements meets the requirements of acoustics, comfort, durability, transparency etc. Little Faktorys slogan is - "the colourful kind" - so we created a muted colour scheme of the three primary colours – yellow, blue and red. The entire space was painted in a creamy, powder yellow tint. A subtle backdrop adding to the colorful creations of Little Faktory.
Why did you choose the circle and the square as design motifs?
Since we were working with primary colours we thought it was fun to explore a second theme of basic shapes. The circular mirrors are soft against the steel and concrete structure, and the square-shaped tables are again a case of form follows function - the customer and the hair stylist having one square each, on both sides, resulting in the plus shape. The plus shape is again hidden in the pattern of the perforated blue room divider.
Team:
Architect: Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor
Photographer: Mikael Olsson
