Salon Today - June 2008 - (Page 34)

salons of theyear RSECOND RUNNER UP (TIE): Sine Qua Non Salons II Shades of pink set Sine Qua Non apart from its earth-toned competitors. W When most people think of calming colors, blue, green or white usually come to mind. That’s not the case with Laura Boton, owner of the trifecta of Sine Qua Non Salons in Chicago. In Boton’s world, pink—and lots of it—equals serenity. She embraces pink so much that the entire ﬂoor of her newly remodeled Sine Qua Non II salon in Chicago’s trendy Lakeview neighborhood is unabashedly, pretty-as-a-picture, coming-up-roses, lacquered pink. Although she offset the feminine shade with handsome walnut accents, Boton had no qualms about using pink with reckless abandon throughout the remodeled salon. Boton had also used the RSine Qua Non Salons II Location: Chicago, Illinois Remodeled: September 2007 Owner: Laura Boton Website: www.sinequanonsalons.com Salon style: Chic, modern, savvy Square footage: 2,000 Styling stations: 11 Treatment rooms: 0 Equipment: Takara Belmont Furniture: Lagomorph Designs Top retail lines: Aveda, Bumble and bumble Design: Bruce Fox for Heather Wells Ltd. Architects: Atlas Construction, Design 21 Construction Judges’ comments: “Fresh, feminine and sassy. Appeals to a young professional clientele.”—Nelson “Minimalist, mod theme is consistent and well-executed.”—Mitchell hue in her smallest Sine Qua Non (which is Latin for “an essential element”) location. “I’m not afraid of color,” Boton says. “It’s part of my personal aesthetic and the salon had to reﬂect me. If you do it right, you don’t have to be afraid.” So against her interior designer’s suggestion of using a contemporary black-and-white palette, Boton trusted her instincts and forged ahead with a hip, vintage-glam aesthetic—a design that can be seen in any one of her three salons. In her recently renovated salon, pink-and-white ﬁligree wallpaper gives a nod to a bygone era, but the statement is undeniably fresh and modern—even somehow punk. Custom-built dark-wood stations and furniture lend a debonair sophistication with their clean lines and rich ﬁnish. Despite the challenges brought forth by rehabbing an old building, which Boton describes as both amazing and frustrating, she managed to maximize the space’s corner location with specialty lighting. From the start, Boton says she kept “street presence” in mind as a way to lure curious passersby. With the help of her interior designer, Boton created a speciﬁc lighting plan that would allow the salon to glow at night. Following in the footsteps of her other salons, she knew that interior lighting was equally important. “I love the idea of using compact ﬂorescent lights, but the coolness doesn’t always look right with hair,” Boton says. “Halogen lights give more warmth and direction.” Pendant ﬁxtures—a signature Sine Qua Non design element—helped stylize the lighting around cutting stations. The madeover space perfectly supports her growing business without having to open a fourth salon, according to Boton. After experiencing the construction of three salons, plus one renovation, Boton says she’s learned that a good interior designer is indispensable. “A lot of salon owners think ‘I have a good eye for design’ and that’s all ﬁne,” Boton says, “but most people don’t think about the little things, which are so important.” n WEB WATCH Want to see more photos of our winning salons? Visit www.salontoday.com 34 | June 2008 www.salontoday.com http://www.sinequanonsalons.com http://www.salontoday.com http://www.salontoday.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Salon Today - June 2008

Salon Today - June 2008 Contents Editor's Note Reception Fashion Sense Roundtable Introduction Juut - Grand Prize Winner Gene Juarez - First Runner Up Dennis Bartolomei - Second Runner Up (tie) Sine Qua Non - Second Runner Up (tie) Republic - Third Runner Up Salons of Distinction Products Owner of the Year

Salon Today - June 2008

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