An Environment That Offers Both Independence and Connection
We created the interior space plan for a beauty salon located in the Harajuku/Omotesando area of Tokyo. The space is approximately 15 square meters and has a 2.3-meter-high ceiling. It accommodates no more than five clients and three staff members at any one time. The goal was to ensure a comfortable experience for clients despite the small size of the space.
Large mirrors installed on the walls give each individual client a broad personalized view through the reflection in front of them. The mirrors line the space, imbuing it with a sense of expansiveness and also integrating a view of the cedar trees outside the building. An abundance of mirrors, however, poses the disadvantage of bringing other clients into view, disrupting the solitude and personal relaxation that people typically seek in a salon environment. To address this, we installed a combination of three standard mirrors and two subtly distorted mirrors. The reflections from these five mirrors create an interior landscape that gives the room a brighter and more expansive feel. The two heat-treated distorted mirrors gently shift the lines of sight, creating a dynamic play of movement and blurring the boundaries of each reflected space, making the distinction between individual areas less clearly defined.
The design concept seeks to offer each client their own distinct space while maintaining a sense of shared experience—a balance of independence and connection. It mirrors a concept of coexistence that is relevant to urban environments, applied to the intimate confines of a small beauty salon.