Royals hair and beauty: interiors inspiration

A distinct Moorish influence inspires the exotic interior of Royals Hair and Beauty in Hornsby, New South Wales, brought to life by husband and wife duo Adam and Mary Alamine . Although the salon is housed in the heart of a busy shopping centre, stepping inside transports clients to the world of the Moroccan bazaar; colourful lanterns hang from the ceiling, exotic teas are served in colourful glasses and fragranced candles bring to life the scents of the region. "Adam's mother is of Tunisian descent," the duo explains. "Tunisia is a country neighbouring Morocco with the same cultural traditions and Adam spent 6 months there and fell in love with the country, its people, its architecture and its culture. The colourful bazaars and handmade items are featured in our house in Sydney, so we felt that it was only appropriate that our salons would be an extension of ourelves - especially since we spend more time at the salons then they do at home!" Distinct Moorish elements can be spotted throughout the salon, most of which were imported directly from bazaars including glass lanterns - which had to be wired for LED lights, candles, perfume bottles, brass trinkets and bowls. The Moroccan-inspired wallpaper on one feature wall was custom-made. Despite the theme, the salon retains a fresh, modern feel. White is the predominate colour, while timber and white granite maintain the light feel throughout the open-plan salon. [hji-gallery-legacy] The basics… Name: Royals Hair & Beauty Address: Shop 1016, Westfield Hornsby, NSW 2077 Owner/s: Adam & Mary Alamine Size: 100 square metres How long have you been in the premises: Three years Number of staff: 9 Number of styling stations: 12 Budget: $160,000 Design by: Diane Fernandes What was the most expensive part of the refit? The custom joinery for the retail area and the shop front glass and aluminium which required engineering certificates and drawings. The retail joinery was all made offsite to specifications and then installed. The curved parts up the top with the TV screens added a considerable cost. What was the best buy? Undoubtedly our Moroccan lanterns which help to capture the entire feel of the Royals' atmosphere. Is there anything you wouldn't choose with hindsight? We ran the timber floor all the way through and at the wash basin area, the water caused havoc with it. In hindsight we should have stopped at the basin area and used water-friendly flooring like tiles. We’re relocating our Castle Hill salon in July 2015 and building a new salon so we’ll implement everything we learnt from our mistakes in the new salon. We’re actually really excited because we’ll get to implement lots of new ideas including creating a very versatile space that can be converted within minutes to a photo shoot studio, education space, mini function area or a hair salon. Sources Furniture: Agigi Design, Melbourne, Australia Lighting and décor: Imported from Moroccan bazaars Wallpaper: Custom-made by our designer Joinery: Custom-made