BY BALBEK BUREAU

Inside the non-conformist beauty salon that defies all stereotypes.

The latest project by Balbek Bureau, Say No Mo, is an avant-garde beauty salon that has been designed with the intention to defy the traditional and stereotypical norms of salon concepts. The salon is set within an old building in Kyiv, Ukraine, which spans across 200 sqm and over two floors. The architectural features of the building do not conform to any traditional design, as there is an absence of any parallel walls to be found. Instead the building plays with a curved-wall geometry, making it a compelling canvas for both the Canadian owner and Balbek to work with for the salon design.

Entering the premises with its imposing four-meter high ceiling on the first floor, clients are immediately enthralled with one of the main accents featuring a ‘broken’ concrete arch that acts as a metaphor for “broken stereotypes within the beauty industry”. The cast-in-situ weighs several hundred kilograms and took four months to complete in various stages. The reception counter is also designed with the same concept.

Passing through the broken concrete arches, rounded golden panels adorn and connect three zones within the salon; the entrance, the bar and the pedicure zone. The golden panels also incase the bar zone, which act as both partitions as well as shelving units, disguising the uneven surfaces of the walls that lie underneath. This zone operates with dual capacity, by serving as a nail bar by day, and then transforms into a bar by night equipped to host social events.

Adjacent to the bar zone, clients can also be treated to a pedicure whilst lounging in designer 637 Utrecht armchairs that are set on a podium. These podiums are fully equipped with washbasins and drawers, so that staff can store away working items. At night, the washbasins are concealed by hollow coffee tables, which serves as another space where patrons can socialise at events. The white colour tones of this space are contrasted with an accent gold washbasin, that was constructed by fusing two ‘Soviet era’ baby bathtubs. These golden accents are also found on the white tiles in the backdrop where hairline cracks have been filled with brass. In addition to this, quirky golden hand ornaments have also been used for clients to prop their belongings. These design elements enabled Balbek to achieve what they described as “the Berlin of the 60s effect”.

On the same floor, the passage leading to the nail art zone features a hammock, which has become a great novelty among clients particularly for Instagram. Within this zone, a two-metre deep water basin was found during the levelling of the concrete. The team at Balbek decided to turn this into a feature of its own, by filling the basin with balls of the same colour as the landing, which was then sealed with a glass pane. Balbek accentuated this feature by using lighting in the space that mimics the blue hue of water - a play on the original discovery.

Descending to the ground level is where Say No Mo treats its clients to its hair styling, make-up and cosmetology services. Due to the basement level having lower ceiling heights and there being a lack of natural light, Balbek resolved this by deliberately keeping to a white palette and dressing the space with large-scale mirrors to create a light and airy feel to the space.

The final result: “The salon’s name – Say No Mo – is in tune with Balbek Bureau’s approach to this project. ‘Say No Mo’ to the traditional point of view on designing beauty salons, gender distinction, ordinary solutions. And ‘Yes’ – to the flight of imagination, creativity, and aesthetics.”

WORDS | AUTRE COLLECTIVE

PHOTOS | YEVHENII AVRAMENKO