"The owners wanted to create an elegant, comfortable space — an oasis of self-care. Natural materials, natural textures, soft colors and decorative decorative elements are reminiscent of a sandy beach. Vintage furniture, wooden details and original lighting scenarios create coziness in a clean, minimalist space," is how Jolly Beauty Salon is described by the main designers of the project — Rina Lovko and Darina Shpuryk.
Rina Lovko, chief architect and founder of Rina Lovko Design Studio
Indeed, the interiors of the salon are made in a light sand color, in some places supplemented with metal details and accent textures of natural stone. The harmonious and balanced interior, not overloaded with unnecessary decor, at the same time evokes the atmosphere of spacious elegant halls in resort hotels and mud houses in warm towns - cozy, bright, full of peace. Combining the best of each of these associations, Jolly Beauty Salon appears to guests as an ideal place where you can be alone with yourself, taking care of yourself, giving yourself time to take your time, breathe in, breathe out.
The plan of the Jolly Beauty Salon beauty salon at the new location on Boulevard named after Lesi Ukrainka in Kyiv
"The owners wanted to create an elegant, comfortable space — an oasis of self-care," share designers Rina Lovko and Daryna Shpuryk
The facility, which used to be a hair salon, is located on the first floor of a 50s building on Lesya Ukrainka Boulevard. The Rina Lovko Studio team faced the task of placing all the necessary functional areas on a modest 77 m2, and organically weaving the salon itself into the canvas of the building and the street. And, going on an imaginary excursion, we, like all future visitors to Jolly Beauty Salon, will start from the main entrance.
The entrance to the salon is decorated with natural travertine slabs. The unique pattern of the stone resonates with the texture of the facade of the building. Photo: Yevhen Avramenko
The street has a significant slope, and the entrance to the salon is represented by a hanging porch with stairs. The entrance group is lined with natural stone slabs. Travertine, which we will also find in the interiors of the salon, covers the stairs, the platform of the porch, as well as the portal with a canopy that frames the front door. The selected stone has a unique pattern that at the same time draws attention to itself and resonates with the walls of the building.
The natural texture of travertine and its "native" shades provide a visual transition from the monotonous ash-sand plinth in the area of the entrance group to the textured "bare" brick of a warmer shade that decorates the facade of the house
Natural stone plays the role of a leading textural accent in the visual concept of the project. Photo: Yevhen Avramenko
"We cleaned the facade of visual noise, signs and graffiti to focus attention directly on the entrance group of the salon, in particular on its geometry and natural textures. At the same time, we had to create a comfortable entrance with convenient stairs that would not interfere with the movement of pedestrians. The canopy and porch with stairs have no visible fasteners. We searched all over Ukraine for the travertine used for cladding, and we found it literally at the last moment," Rina Lovko Studio shares.
In the waiting area, the designers placed vintage chairs from Walter Knoll in beige velor, as well as a stainless steel coffee table with a travertine top. Photo: Yevhen Avramenko
In the waiting area, the designers placed vintage chairs from Walter Knoll in beige velor, as well as a stainless steel coffee table with a travertine top. Photo: Yevhen Avramenko
Despite the small area of the object, in general, it took 6 months to reconstruct the space and the entrance group. The designers were very attentive to the selection of shades and materials, making every effort to ensure that the final appearance of the salon was as consistent as possible with the design project. For the same reasons, all the furniture, except for the chairs, was made according to drawings created specifically for the Jolly Beauty Salon project. According to the designers, only individually designed furniture could fit as harmoniously as possible into the visual geometry they envisioned for a project with such a modest footprint.
Harmonious and balanced interior, not overloaded with unnecessary decor, at the same time evokes the atmosphere of spacious elegant halls in resort hotels and mud houses in warm towns
The internal space of Jolly Beauty Salon is divided into zones: waiting area, reception, cosmetics sales area, 4 workplaces of hairdressers and stylists, manicure table, 2 areas for parallel services, hair washing area, color bar, massage and cosmetology room, kitchen and dressing room for staff and bathroom.
Travertine in the interior of the salon often interacts with the texture of natural oak. According to the designers, such a tandem has a harmonious combination of shades, and also successfully balances with the ash-sand color chosen for the walls. Photo: Yevhen Avramenko
At the entrance to the salon, customers can look at the cosmetics presented for sale on a special shelf. In the waiting area, the designers placed vintage chairs from Walter Knoll in beige velor, as well as a stainless steel coffee table with a travertine top.
Behind the waiting area, we are greeted by a monolithic reception desk made of quartz. The mirror on the wall on the left expands the interior space, and also creates a visual illusion: the rack, extended by its own reflection, seems to have a T-shape. There, behind the reception desk, there are laconic glass shelves for cosmetics on metal tubes with hidden fasteners. The wall behind the counter is partially decorated with natural stone and continues zonally with workplaces for hairdressers and stylists.
The interiors of Jolly Beauty Salon are designed in an elegant style of minimalism, characteristic of Rina Lovko and her studio's projects
All furniture in the salon, except for chairs, was made according to the author's drawings. According to the designers, only individually designed furniture could fit into the visual geometry of the project as harmoniously as possible. Photo: Yevhen Avramenko
"To decorate the central wall, we chose a natural stone - red travertine, changing its original tone using the manual matting technique. To create the effect of a natural fracture of the stone, the edge was processed by hand. The solution with travertine is not only aesthetic, but also functional. If we simply painted the wall in the same sand shade as the entire interior, where the stylists' workplaces are located, this area would quickly lose its aesthetic appearance due to mechanical damage and traces of dirt. And so natural stone protects the wall in the area of the feet. In addition, we provided there with stainless steel steps screwed directly into the travertine slab," the authors of the project say.
Jolly Beauty Salon appears to guests as an ideal place where you can be alone with yourself, taking care of yourself, giving yourself time to take your time, breathe in, breathe out. Photo: Yevhen Avramenko
In general, the interiors of the salon are maintained in a refined manner of minimalism, which is characteristic of Rina Lovko and the projects of her studio. Even the elements of the salon, which are mandatory for work, have their own special visual charm in the design project. So, for example, mirrors for make-up artists are made of oak veneer in the form of traditional dressers. This solution adds coziness and rhymes with vintage chairs. The mirrors have additional lighting, and their racks are made of metal under a galvanic coating with its characteristic color distributions. The wooden furniture and massage table are made of oak veneer, the natural shade of which is as harmoniously combined as possible with the sand color chosen for decorating the walls of the salon.
Mirrors for make-up artists are made of oak veneer in the form of traditional dressers. This solution adds coziness and rhymes with the vintage Walter Knoll chairs placed in the waiting area. Photo: Yevhen Avramenko
The colorbar tabletop repeats the material of the reception area and is also made of quartz. The warm tone of the furniture complements the general color scheme, and their material does not absorb paint and aggressive substances. The color bar and hair washer are located opposite the office, which allows you to use the space efficiently. The parallel services area is separated by a sliding glass partition in the shape of the letter H. Part of the partition is frosted to create an additional sense of privacy for clients during procedures. In this area there are multifunctional chairs from the Italian brand Gamma & Bross.
The colorbar tabletop is made of quartz, as is the reception desk. Photo: Yevhen Avramenko
The interior bathroom is also minimalistic with natural accents. Its interior is kept in simple forms, the toilet was selected in the same color as the wall decoration, and the sink is made of travertine - the same that was used in the decoration of the central wall of the salon.
In the interior of the bathroom, the designers used the same combination of "warm" sand-colored travertine as in the main room. Photo: Yevhen Avramenko
The Rina Lovko Studio team also paid special attention to lighting in the Jolly Beauty Salon project. "One of the highlights of the interior is the illuminated ceiling, which turns into a mirror. The mirror visually expands the space, which accommodates a maximum of functions in a minimum number of square meters. The ceiling is made of mesh with cold and warm diodes that create the effect of daylight. The mesh is covered with PVC fabric, and the black profiles create a graphic clear outline. On both sides of the lightbox, we lowered the ceiling level - the ventilation and air conditioning system is located in the recesses. The ventilation project was one of the most difficult stages. We used the technique of thin slits, and our engineers were able to design the climate qualitatively, taking into account all the limitations," the authors of the project share.
Summarizing her own thoughts about returning to work during the war and talking about future prospects, Rina Lovko, designer and founder of Rina Lovko Studio, says the following:
"The time we are going through now is difficult and unpredictable. We try to live it, hoping that soon the killings will stop and peace will come. However, we also realize that we have to live on - to live to create beauty and make the world a better place."
Architect: Rina Lovko Studio
A type: Beauty salon
Year: 2022
Photo: Evgeny Avramenko
Location: Ukraine, Kiev
Area - 77 m2
