Light and mirrors

Light and mirrors
Eric Paris salon in Beijing sets the stage for beauty

By Vilma Barr, New York Editor
April 01, 2008

Courtesy of GRAFT, Beijing

When French hair stylist and entrepreneur Eric Costantino decided to open a flagship Eric Paris salon in the centrally located Kerry Center of downtown Beijing, he knew he had to present something the market hadn't seen before. His competition was 30,000 beauty salons of all sizes currently operating in Beijing to service the Chinese capital's burgeoning population of 14 million.

To create a singular image in this crowded market, he opted for stop-them-in-their-tracks visual drama. A sinuous metal and wood central staircase, mirrored surfaces and an overall elegant luminosity radiates from the inventive architecture and interior design. Product displays are intentionally kept back from the front windows, allowing pedestrians a clear view of the staircase and reception areas. This introduces a sense of drama and discovery, which serves to draw people into the space.

Located on the ground level of the 3,240-sq.-ft. salon are the entry, reception and a retail area. Hair cutting stations are located on the second floor, with treatment rooms on the mezzanine. Gregor Hoheisel, Beijing partner of Berlin-based GRAFT, directed the architecture and interior design. Ted Ferreira, who has been designing lighting in China for Atlanta-based CD+M Lighting Design Group since 2001, assisted GRAFT in using lighting to enhance the sleek and distinctively unique environment.

Costantino founded the chain of Western-style salons in 1997 when he arrived in Beijing, then with more than two dozen successful salons already operating in France. The original six Eric Paris salons in Beijing and two in Shanghai were very subdued, built around traditional British themes, Hoheisel points out. "For the Kerry Center venue, which is in Beijing's Central Business District, the concept was to support Eric's vision for a modern Eric Paris image with a contemporary environment," Hoheisel indicates.

Wave-like, flowing lines dominate the salon interior. A curving, sculptural staircase connects the three levels as the central vertical circulation spine. Glossy metal panels in fingernail-red automobile finishes frame the stair on both sides. Individual MR16 uplight luminaires are spaced at 5-ft. intervals in the wood floors close to the edge, highlighting the red paint and sparkling in the spiral mirrored ceiling, which begins at the first floor. "Nearly all of the light fixtures were integrated into the floor, walls and ceilings by GRAFT, with no decorative fixtures anywhere in the salon," Ferreira says. Halogen AR111 adjustable light fixtures supply accent lighting on all three levels and additional recessed miniature downlights were selected for their energy-efficiency and minimal appearance in the ceiling.

In the main cutting and styling area, an additional layer of soft, ambient lighting is located in a cove above the drop ceiling, which also conceals retractable panels fitted with cool fluorescent lighting and adjustable halogen task lighting for each of the cutting stations. Both cool and warm light sources can be controlled at each cutting station, allowing stylists to show clients how they will look under different lighting conditions.

"For us, lighting in the salon was all about the mirrors, and the contours of the architecture introduced wonderful opportunities to bounce light around the space," Ferreira says. "The result is that the surrounding environment became more active than just passive, which seems to be the case in many other salons."

A sophisticated product presentation system stresses the importance that Costantino places on selling recommended post-salon hair care to his customers. The Kerry Center salon artfully places products at the forward edge of slim, recessed, eye-level niche cases that were sculpted out of the wall surfaces. The transparent shelves are lit both from below and above, highlighting the products, using fluorescent backlighting to add drama and dimension to the displays. Mirrors on the ceilings of the illuminated wall niches and on tray-like manicure tables reflect the merchandise for added flare. "The technique of creating interesting visual patterns by carefully placing and uplighting the product packaging invites examination and encourages purchasing," adds Ferreira.