Hj interiors: labour of love at re-invention house

Published 23rd Aug 2018 by akesha
Hj interiors: labour of love at re-invention house A home-from-home experience awaits guests at Lincolnshire’s Re-Invention House... The facts Name: Re-Invention House Address: Pawnshop Passage, Louth, Lincolnshire Staff: 2 Size: 40m2 Budget: £50,000 Re-Invention House is a refuge from everyday life where coffee table books, fresh fruit, flowers, Whittards of Chelsea refreshments and iPads are at a guest’s fingertips. For 29-year-old Jak Bakewell opening this salon was a true labour of love. Since buying the building back in 2014, he dreamed of creating an intimate setting where client are treated like guests in a luxurious home. Jak worked on the building in his spare time, but he credits the success of the salon’s décor to joining forces with interior designer Clive Rhodes. “I wanted the salon to feel like an artist studio,” explains Jak. “I expected Clive to come back with a white and minimal design. However, he came up with the brilliant idea of making it feel like an artist living within the premises.” re invention house exterior As a result, the space was furnished with artistic fabrics, a painted ceiling and various artworks adoring the walls. Even styling stations were crafted by a local joiner in the style of an artist’s easel. A guest’s visit to the salon begins by walking through a discreetly panelled front door painted in Medici blue and embellished with a Venetian gilt doorknocker. The front door opens to reveal a twisting staircase and a bijou reception desk. The walls are decorated with a durable panelled wallpaper which adds to the atmosphere of the historic house.
The true beauty of this salon is in the details. Hair colourants, brushes and electrical tools rest incognito in library bookcases and shelving in the chimney recesses.
Even the vaulted ceiling skyscape is hand-painted by Lincolnshire artist Mary Daw. “A once drab frieze beneath the ceiling now features witty sayings on the subject of hair colours and quotes from poets such as Sylvia Plath and W.S. Gilbert,” explains Clive. Uplighters are used to light the vaulted ceiling while LED strip downlights wash the walls with light. Wire track lights give stylists the best working light at their workstations. The glass floor is downlit with an LED strip. Both rooms have centrepiece pendant lights and the staircase has a quirky copper explosion light. re invention house window The interior designer made suggestions throughout the renovation process. “I recommended refitting the floor with engineered wood boards in lacquered limed oak as it is relatively easy to maintain. I also advised Jak to carpet the stairway with natural wool looped pile to suppress noise and offer comfort,” explains Clive. Initially it was thought that a waiting area would not complement the salon’s ethos of personal door-to-chair appointments. However, Clive suggested an ingenious solution for guests that arrive early. “Anyone who arrives early can sit on tip-up reclaimed cinema seating at the entrance,” adds Clive. “I’m so pleased we used wallpaper as opposed to paint,” concludes Jak. “I would have opted for paint for the ease of touching up areas, however it could never give the warmth and style that the wallpaper has given.” Renovation House illustrates how magic can happen when a salon owner and interior designer work together in harmony.

Jak’s top tips

Think about your staff Consider what you want to achieve for yourself and your team – not just your clients. If your team love their work environment, it will keep your staff turnover low. Get industry feedback Always get someone in the industry who has a similar target audience to give you their ideas about your plans and work out what is feasible and what is not. Work backwards Decide an opening date and work backwards from there when planning your timescale. If you realise the timings don’t work, you can always move them back until it does. This article originally featured in the June 2018 issue of Hairdressers Journal 
akesha

akesha

Published 23rd Aug 2018

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