RETAIL
Rapunzel in cotton candy
Retail design that looks like visual wellness is one of the specialties of the multidisciplinary design studio Sergio Mannino – not least thanks to their sense for harmoniously combining striking colors and patterns. For the flagship store of the US brand "Glam Seamless", which specialises in high-quality hair extensions, designers Sergio Mannino and Martina Guandalini created an interior design with a high instagramability in the SoHo district of New York City: A glazed front transforms the hairdressing salon into a diorama even before you enter and gives you a first glimpse to the rainbow of soft shades of rose, peach, coral, orange, red and pink that accompanies the guests through the rooms. From the entrance, the colours gradually darken in tones, creating a tunnel effect over the wall paint, which draws the eye like into a glamorous rabbit hole.
The space measures only 92 square metres, divided into two tube-shaped levels. Passages with semicircular arches connect them, a form that is also found in the mirrors. Numerous white spots on the ceiling provide lighting as if on a catwalk. Thanks to the many indirectly illuminated surfaces and the white tiled floors, the two rooms are visually enlarged. While the customers get long hair in no time at all, the companions may take a seat on "Circus" poufs with velvet cover by Normann Copenhagen. An interior design like sweet cotton candy, tailored to the brand's predominantly young customers and crowned by accents in gold and marble – as with the finish of the barstools by Erickson Aesthetics. The balance to the pompous sets the rest of the furniture with a refreshingly geometric strength: no-frills, made-to-measure dressing tables, wall shelves and hanging sideboards in white and tops made of clear glass. In addition, terracotta-coloured hexagonal tiles with radial laying patterns provide a pleasant contrast on the floors between the levels. This peaks in the bathroom in form of a floral wallpaper with striking green leaf patterns. Meanwhile, the brand name and the slogan "Make every day Glamorous" shine gently in pastel-coloured neon writing. A small but fine piece of interior design glamour for upcoming Rapunzel.
