Poll time! Barbershop A or B?

I just finished typing my last paper for the classes I took this semester, and it feels so good to be done. Now to renew my teaching certification, which will stay current for five years until I have to take classes all over again….

But enough about that. A few weeks ago my sister and I met with a barber and his wife. This barber is a cool guy in his twenties who has been in business for a few years, and moving to a different building is a chance to “brand” his company, if you will. The new shop will be located in an existing building straight across the street from a historic, iconic theater in town. Here is the space:

View from the front door (above)

View from the back door (above). The brick section on the left will be the waiting area.

Horizontal windows will be covered by large mirrors—this is where the hair cutting happens.

There are a few musts in here:

>> The walls need to be white—at least the perimeter walls where he and the other barbers will work. The room is dark and will get darker still when windows are covered by mirrors. So light is a major concern—they’ve got to be able to see what they’re cutting!—hence the white walls.

>> We can have some fun in the waiting area, which needs to be comfortable but masculine. That means substantial but streamlined furniture and good art. The clientele here is male, young to young-ish, and hip.

>> The floor is a chance to make a statement.

>> Overall, the couple is hoping for a masculine feel with a dab of midcentury and a bit of old pub thrown in.

So my sister and I came up with two design boards. The color at the top of each board represents the paint color that could be applied in the waiting area, which is part of the big open space but won’t add a lot of darkness to the room.

Design A:

Design B:

Just one quick note about the floor in Design B: That checkerboard is cork—gorgeous and great under foot—but you could achieve a similar look with Marmoleum, which is basically a refreshed version of linoleum I am loving right now that’s perfect for a vintage feel.

Time to vote! Please tell me your favorite in the comments. And remember, if you are female, you’ll have to slip the mind of a man, scary though it may be. Men are the target clientele.

This isn’t the entire scope of the project. There is a cool room within this big room that will be used for merchandise (see photos above), and we are proposing a bit of fun and risk in there. That design will be coming soon. Stay tuned. •

Sources:

Paint A: Sherwin-Williams Granite Peak

Mosaic floor tile

Sconce A

Sofa A

Rug A

Chair A

Throw