GRINDHAUS HAIR SPACE

TAKE A PEEK INSIDE THE WINNER OF SHOP INTERIOR AT THE MODERN BARBER AWARDS 2024

WHEN DID YOU OPEN?

We opened in December 2023, and it’s been a whirlwind ever since.

WHAT WAS YOUR BUDGET?

We had a rough budget of £15-20k in mind, which included painting, flooring, plumbing, electrics new kitchen, barber chairs, sections, backwash and décor, but we were able to stick to it. A lot of our furniture is vintage or second-hand, which was a big bonus as we also put a big focus on sustainability where possible.

TELL US ABOUT THE RENOVATION PROCESS – WERE THERE ANY CHALLENGES?

We took over the lease in the September and started off by getting the place patched up and painted, and replaced the flooring. As it’s an old school building the electrics weren’t in the best shape, and we needed to be creative with how we could supply power while ensuring it was aesthetically pleasing. We were really lucky that we had an amazing group of people taking on the work and everything went relatively smoothly – the biggest headache was getting the right backwash delivered in time!

WHAT INFLUENCED THE DESIGN?

We love mid-century Danish design, and the 70s is our favourite era so we really went with that and used it as our starting point. We also wanted the studio to feel welcoming and reflect who we are. We wanted to pay homage to our favourite genre, grindhouse cinema, hence the name of the shop.

WHAT IS THE COLOUR SCHEME AND WHY DID YOU PICK IT?

It’s a muted 70s scheme with earthy desert hues: off white, sage green, taupe, rust and ochre.

DESCRIBE THE LIGHTING IN EACH AREA – WHY WAS IT CHOSEN, AND WHAT EFFECT DOES IT HAVE?

Our overhead lighting provides great light to work in, however we often keep them off in favour of the natural light – we’re lucky to have extremely large windows. We also utilise ambient lighting throughout the space.

WHAT ARE THE WALLS COVERED IN AND WHY?

We have tongue and groove panelling up to halfway on one wall and the rest of the walls have larger panelling along the bottom half too. We painted the top half of the room in School House White and the panelling and woodwork in Jitney by Farrow & Ball.

WHAT IS THE FLOOR MADE FROM AND WHY?

We went with a hard wearing, durable linoleum in a herringbone pattern.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT WHERE YOU BOUGHT THE FURNITURE AND ARTWORK

The section is a green back-to-back island lined in brass from Concept Salon Furniture, and we went with the Dainty chair from Takara Belmont in the camel colourway – this was a stroke of luck on our part as at the time there were only four of these in the UK, and we proudly have two. The backwash is a REM backwash in a taupe leather. Our couch was a Facebook Marketplace find and our mid-century sideboards, coffee table and nest of tables were also all purchased from local vintage sellers in Glasgow who are also on Facebook Marketplace. The artwork is retro movie posters of some of my favourite films (The Shining, Stand by Me, Drive and Foxy Brown). Our standout dried floral piece was bespoke made by the brilliant Floral Menagerie and we recently purchased an original Vernor Panton chair by Vitra circa 1960s from a local Danish dealer.

DOES THE BARBERSHOP LOOK DIFFERENT IN SEPARATE AREAS, AND IF SO, WHY?

We have defined separate areas which all flow together to create a functional space. We have our sections in the middle of the space – we went for a back-to-back island which saves space but is also completely movable and can be rearranged when needed. We have our photography station with backdrop and lights which we use for client pictures and social media, as well as tutorial and education backdrops. Our kitchen is at the back of the space but is open plan, and our waiting area has a view of the entire space. We really wanted it to feel airy, open, and functional but also like you are relaxing in our home.

IS THE BARBERSHOP MEANT TO APPEAL TO ANYONE IN PARTICULAR?

We wanted the studio to be an inclusive safe space and welcoming to all. As someone who has ADHD myself, I wanted to make sure the space was neuro-friendly. We have things in place for this to make the experience enjoyable for everyone, including low lighting, brown noise, calm music, no music, and longer service times. We are a private studio rather than a busy shop front with multiple sections which is also a huge positive, as we feel this creates an intimate, relaxed atmosphere.

WHAT MAKES THE SPACE UNIQUE?

We’ve put our all into creating a space that oozes calming vibes and we think it shows. Grindhaus is a full-on relaxing sensory experience – everything from our curated room scents, carefully selected coffee, ambient music and nostalgic furnishings evoke a feeling of calm.

DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS OR THINGS YOU WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY?

Honestly, no regrets! I feel very lucky as everything functions very well. When we were viewing locations, we saw a much larger space and at the time it seemed too big a project for an extremely small team, so I took a safer option. I don’t regret that decision, but having set up the shop now and seeing it’s success, it’s given me the motivation to either take on another unit in the future or expand.