Parker and dicce: interiors inspiration
Published
12th Mar 2014
by rachael
The new Parker and Dicce Aveda Concept Salon and Spa in Woolton, Liverpool brings a big-city salon experience to an affluent suburban village some five miles out of the the city centre.
At 3,500 sq ft, the enormous new space is the perfect new home for a business which has been established for more than ten years - and which has grown accordingly.
"We decided to expand to provide more Aveda Spa services, a larger retail area and to have room to grow into for our educational facilities over the next 5 years," says Parker & Dicce partner and salon co-owner, Chris Parker. "Our clientele are mainly 25-54 year old blue-collar and white-collar females – those guests are our business and we felt that they deserve an environment to feel relaxed, pampered and as if nothing were too much trouble for us to deliver to them. The space is designed to encourage social interaction, invoke comfort, and leave the client feeling refreshed and re-invigorated."
Why did you decide to open a 'city centre' sized location in the suburbs?
I noticed a growing trend for people shopping online and using retail parks for their fashion needs. Personally, I haven’t ventured very far past my computer for the last three Christmases in order to fulfill my shopping lists and when I asked my clients the same question, they agreed. In fact, 74% of them no longer visit the city centre for shopping or relaxation at all. They blamed the parking fees, long queues, one way systems and the sheer stress of doing so.
I tried to imagine where we will be in ten years time when not only online shopping is the norm, but online office work is too. The internet has changed things and people no longer need to travel into busy city centers to access work or the services and products they desire - and in most cases I believe they prefer not to if they can avoid it.
How has the larger salon enabled you to expand the business?
Our new location has enabled us to provide many extras for both the enjoyment of our staff and our clients too. For clients we have a complimentary full service bar, a community table for social visits, a photo studio, day spa, make-up area, private backwash cubicles, designated relaxation room and a special bridal room that can be hired for wedding parties or special occasions. Our team not only have access to all of the above, but also a designated hairdressing classroom, large staff lounge (mums can bring their kids to work and let them play here), locker area and a kitchen with full facilities.
Is the salon all on one level?
Yes, all of the client facilities are accessed on one level. I was very aware after my own mother was recently wheelchair-bound after an operation that I wanted every part of the salon and spa to be accessible to all without needing additional help or assistance. The salon and spa are visually separated by screens. Both areas are independently controlled with dual zone air conditioning and sound systems.
Can you describe your vision for the new salon and spa?
As mentioned earlier, I feel that the internet has changed many things. A downside to this is real human interaction. We can all Facebook each other, but it’s so much nicer when we can actually 'face to face' each other instead. To encourage this we thought about environments that naturally lend themselves to social interaction, such as restaurants and bars. We wanted the salon to be a place where, even if you are not having your hair or beauty services completed, you would feel welcome to come in and catch up with us, or perhaps your best friend or sister who was visiting us at the time.
To achieve this, we installed a 'community table' in our retail zone so that people can sit and chat to each other and then extended the retail area out into the salon itself opposite the bar to really hammer home that social feel. Rather than use walls, we opted instead for island units, so that again, people could chat to each other during their appointments and perhaps make new friends by the end of each visit.
Our bridal/special occasion hire room again encourages people to visit the salon in groups, share special moments and build new memories together.
