IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2013 - 53

1. MIRRORED WALL

The floating wall, designed to hide heating and water
pipes, supports a 19-foot-long mirror that helps Montgomery see clients’ hair from all angles and expands
the sense of space. Using a mirrored wall in lieu of
fixed, built-in styling stations (supplies are stashed
in rolling carts) created a more flexible floor plan, too;
Montgomery could squeeze in another chair if she
expands her practice.
2. CEILING & LIGHTING

The dropped ceiling helps create zones in the open-plan
space while hiding the lights’ bulky infrastructure
above. The lower soffit at left leads visitors through
the space like a corridor, notes Stumer. All lights are
LED, including the product displays’ custom colorchanging fixtures. Bulbs are 3,000
K to mitigate harshness, allow
Montgomery to view hair color
with accuracy, and help keep the
temperature down. “Most salons
get so hot because of the hair dryers and incandescent lighting,”
she notes. One snafu: The lighting
Mark StuMer,
fixtures arrived 1/4-inch bigger
than the cabinetry was built to
Mojo StuMer & aSSociateS
accommodate, which required
When opening her own salon, hairstylist JamieLee a last-minute adjustments. “In such a small space,
Montgomery dreamed big—and thought small. “I something even a quarter-inch too big infringes on
wanted to create an intimate space that would give something else,” says Ackerman.
clients a feeling of exclusivity,” notes the Irish-born 3. STYLING CHAIRS
talent. In her by-appointment-only space, she sees “It’s so hard to find ergonomic salon chairs that are
only one person at a time, a boon for celebrities comfortable, look good, and aren’t too bulky,” explains
and those seeking a more private experience (not Montgomery. These, from Italian manufacturer Sato mention anyone who likes to gossip freely with lon Ambience, had an exceedingly long lead time but
their stylist). Although she favored snug quarters, proved worth the wait; their strong lines mesh with
her 337-square-foot SoHo storefront—just 10 1/2-feet the hard-edged interior scheme. The leather upholat its widest—proved challenging from a design and stery is treated to withstand the chemicals used in
construction perspective. “We had to solve a num- the coloration process—as are other sturdy materiber of problems: how to store stuff on-site during the als, such as the porcelain floors and light-reflective
build-out, how to coordinate the trades so they didn’t glass-mosaic walls.
overlap, how to make it not only beautiful but also 4. CUSTOM CABINETRY
perform exquisitely,” explains Montgomery’s part- Custom millwork tailored to the exact dimensions
ner, real- estate specialist/builder Richard Ackerman, of Montgomery’s supplies takes advantage of every
who acted as general contractor. “Small spaces take so available square inch; she even spent time in the
much thinking; I’m renovating a 16,000-square-foot cabinetmaker’s studio during fabrication to ensure
6
building now that I’ll complete in a quarter of the time, proper fit. “I need to have all my supplies at arm’s
and with much less effort.”
length, and storage for everything from towels and
The duo teamed with architect Mark Stumer, who color tubes to peroxide and gloves. There are so many
devised a luxe yet minimalist scheme that supports things you need on a day-to-day basis that you don’t
the intricate choreography of cutting and coloring, really think about when working in a bigger salon
and that maximizes every square inch to func- with lots of cabinets.” A favorite detail: “I’ve worked
tion like a space twice its size. “The challenge was in other small spaces, and one of the nicest things here
transforming tiny quarters into a comfortable work is that we were able to hide the towel and garbage
environment while keeping everything on a some- bins from view.”
what delicate scale, so no single element overpowered
the space,” says Stumer. The result? “Because of how
painstakingly it’s designed, I have so much room to
work,” Montgomery concludes.

“The challenge was transforming tiny quarters into
a comfortable work environment while keeping
everything on a somewhat delicate scale, so no single
element overpowered the space.”

perspective

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2013