Hj interiors: simplicity is key at the sachajuan salon in stockholm

The perfect canvas on which to paint the Swedish hair brand’s ethos, SACHAJUAN salon in Stockholm is a minimalist vision. It’s the epitome of the clean and hygienic canvas that all clients want. FACT FILE Name:  SACHAJUAN Address: Sturegatan 38 Stockholm Owner/s: Sacha Mitic and Juan Rosenlind Size: 170 m² How many staff: 8 An art gallery in its former life, the SACHAJUAN salon feels open, fresh and thoroughly modern, even though it originally opened in 1997. “We wanted to create a salon that was totally unique and that reflected our brand ethos,” explains owners Sacha Mitic and Juan Rosenlind. “Hair can be complicated and at SACHAJUAN we always simplify how we approach things. We extended this approach to the salon by taking away unnecessary objects.” By minimising the space inside, the focus is on the clients as opposed to what’s in the salon.  Designed by Thomas Erikssons at TEA, it took approximately four months from securing the space to opening the doors for the first time. The salon has a neutral colour scheme and the palette features white, brown and grey. “When we designed the salon, we were a little bit ahead of our time which is why the aesthetic is still so appealing today,” Sacha points out. “It still feels fresh and different. Back in 1997 you were seeing lots of salons creating spaces with black interiors and we did not feel this was right for us at all. We reacted to this trend by creating a salon that was the exact opposite. We picked the neutral colour palette and decided to keep the interior as white as possible. Complete white was a conscious choice and a definite reaction to that period of very black interiors.” The styling area features Maletti Chairs from 1960, which Sacha and Juan maintain is an integral part of the interior. The floor is limestone and was already laid when they moved in. The stone’s soft beige colour worked perfectly with the brand’s neutral palette. The material comes from the Swedish island Gotland where it has been mined since Medieval times, so it fits perfectly with the brand’s Scandi heritage. There are three backwashes placed towards the rear of the salon behind a glass wall, which creates a more private space without ruining the flow of the space. The backwash area also houses the tools and products for treatments and colour so the salon is kept clean and minimalist. SACHAJUAN’S approach to hair and product development is the same as their approach to interior design – simple is better. There is no doubt this minimalist style is now more relevant than ever so take your cues from the Swedish duo and create a space that is clean, hygienic and will never go out of style.

Sacha and Juan’s top tips

Be clear on your brand identity Try to follow your ideas as much as possible and make sure the space has personality. Think about the atmosphere Question how the environment will make your clients feel. Don’t make it too complicated Remember you are going to be working in this space every day, so it needs to work logistically. This article originally appeared in the November print issue of Hairdressers Journal.