Fuchs Hair has relocated out of Waterloo and down the road to Alexandria, catering to existing clients and opening up new exposure on Botany Road, epitomising their attitude to old and new. With a similarly sized space, the new salon is aesthetically defined by plenty of light and the bold design choices key to the Fuchs Hair brand.
“The space used to be a fabric store so we knew it would have to be completely brought back to its empty shell and the layout redesigned, which was an exciting task to take on,” explained salon owner Alexander Fuchs. “When it came to design a new space, we very much looked at what we had, what other businesses are doing and what’s happening in the design world moving forward. Our family, three generations of hairdressers with five salons in Switzerland and one salon in Australia, has a lot of experience in setting up new salons. When it came to practicality of a salon and the layout, we had a lot of experience we could benefit from.”
The salon worked with friend and established builder Daniel Heapy from TwoAcres in Byron Bay. Daniel infuses creativity and natural shapes and materials into his building work, becoming the ideal partner in building on the Fuchs Hair brand.
“We wanted the new salon to be bright, warm, inviting and relaxing and so we looked at Mediterranean spas and wellness spaces as our inspiration. From that we decided on the arched mirrors very quickly as a main feature and started designing the rest of the space around that idea,” Alexander said.
The salon utilises soft, round edges to give it an inviting energy, with timber panels sourced from an old house in Queensland creating aesthetic contrast. This feature is used to screen the basin area and punctuate the windows on the main road for an eye-catching element, as well as building the retail shelves and kitchen shelves. The space structure only adds to this inviting atmosphere.
“We created a very open space with a kitchenette area near reception where clients can help themselves to drinks. It offers still and sparkling water taps, an open colour table area with a TV near the windows opening up to the courtyard of the building and a newly designed colour mixing bar that sits in the middle of the salon,” Alexander shared. “The colour tubes are placed in draws in a custom build unit with mixing areas, sinks and bins finished off with a light highly durable Corian material.”
The salon fuses the practicalities of hairdressing life with additional client-first features. As an example, neutral, bright light is necessary for colouring, but the complementary warm tones in the salon and the Moroccan plaster finish allows for softer, more flattering lighting when clients stare at themselves in the mirror. Moroccan plaster is used on the walls, benches and around the arched mirrors as a warm and unique finish, while lighting is paramount to the salon in every regard.
“The Moroccan plaster is the main feature when you walk into the space, it’s one of the most ancient way of building, literally crushed Moroccan rock hand moulded around the structures we built and waxed by hand finished with a natural pigment,” he continued. “The material is actually a living stone for up to ten years absorbing negative ions in the space promoting wellbeing. Most clients walking in say straight away ‘this place feels so calm and warm’. That was exactly what we were going for!”
“We have lots of natural light flooding into the space from the main road but also the back of the salon with big windows towards the beautifully designed courtyard of the building we are in,” he continued. “For more comfort and a greater client experience we also increased the distance between chairs and designed the mirrors extra wide, so clients feel they have their own nook and enough space for their belongings especially when working from the salon. We did the same with our basin area, it feels private, warm and inviting with our lie-flat basins.”
Fuchs Hair is a La Biosthetique concept salon, offering the brand’s signature client experience rituals and a holistic approach to hair and scalp care, colour and style. Their partnership with the brand also extends to their role as a sustainable salon, as health and the environment is a priority with La Biosthetique products. The salon also recycles most salon waste and chooses natural and reclaimed materials where possible in design to add to these values.
Launching the salon in the midst of the pandemic has presented unique challenges, and the salon voluntarily shut for a month after just two weeks of trading. They’ve now been operating again since the 1st of May, in keeping with strict distancing and hygiene measures.
“I think having a bright, clean open salon with lots of space for each client makes everyone comfortable coming to Fuchs Hair,” Alexander said. “Moving forward, especially after COVID-19, personal connections, client experience, one-on-one services and client retention are more important then ever. This has always been a key philosophy of Fuchs Hair and we are looking forward continue offering that personalised service with lots of care in our new space.”
An inspiring space in more ways than one, welcome the new and must-see Fuchs Hair!
For more information visit www.fuchshair.com.au
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