Beauty Studio: An Extreme Makeover
Beauty Studio, a chain of stores selling beauty supplies, wanted to break away from its competition by creating a more sophisticated kind of retail experience, offering premium beauty and skincare products to a diverse consumer base. They came to B&N to help design stores which were different, refreshing, and current.
A large glass wall with the Puck system allows light to enter the salon, while providing merchandising areas on both sides – a must when selling-through product that is used and promoted in the salon.
Creating the right look and feel of the store was critical to Beauty Studio’s success. This is because many top-shelf manufacturers are choosy about what retailers they’ll allow to carry their products. So in order to get the best products, the store had to have the ambiance of a high-end salon.
The challenge was creating a store that was as functional as it was beautiful. Among the practical issues were finding away to showcase an abundance of merchandise without creating too much visual noise. The fixtures also had to be strong given the sheer weight of the products, most of which are bottles filled with liquid.
To achieve simple elegance, we used a limited color palette of browns, grays, and gloss whites. The shapes of all the fixtures were simple and blocky, contributing to a modern, architectural division of space.
Through the use of strong shapes, the smaller beauty merchandise could “breathe.” This simplicity
kept brand lines and product categories distinct from one another.
High-gloss white laminate was combined with rich, dark, wenge wood fixtures. Palm wood flooring was combined with white Carrara marble. The combination of textures and colors allowed easy adaptation to both men’s and women’s categories of product. The clean lines and creative use of lighting achieved the feel of a world class spa, like one you’d find in a tropical destination. Giant black and white photography was used to enhance the feeling of timeless beauty and style. The photos range from shots of sophisticated beauty to exotic scenes from spa locations. The entire feeling of the store communicates escape, pampering, and relaxation.|
Beauty Studio had one other challenge. In order to qualify for products that are sold exclusively in salons, there needed to have a salon on the premises. Instead of just placing chairs in the back of the room, as most other stores of this kind do, we saw this as another opportunity to be innovative. A large and modern space was created, complete with a reception area and white-leather Porsche design salon chairs. Mirrors with sandblasted, backlit poetic words were etched into the glass. We used the Puck system on the large glass wall to bring light to this part of the store. The Puck fixtures also created merchandising opportunities on both sides, a must for boosting product sales.
Cosmetic tables were designed to be strong and linear, rich in wenge wood and white Carrara marble. Mid-century modern classic bar stools in a custom dark-brown finish invite customers to sit, try product, or experience a cosmetic makeover. In addition to the many strategically-placed “tester” shelving units, sales are increased through the customer’s trials.
Cosmetic tables are strong and linear in design, and rich in wenge wood and white carrara marble. Mid-century modern classic bar stools in a custom dark-brown finish invite customers to sit, try product,
or experience a cosmetic makeover.
