Claire Françoise is a beauty salon located in Prahran, Melbourne. The project brief was to develop a new interior brand for the owner with the possibility of further stores opening in the future.

The small tenancy located on busy High Street was an exercise in maximising limited space and ensuring the interior appeared spacious and inviting. The budget was constrained, so certain items from the existing tenancy were retained such as the concrete floor, ceiling services (which were painted black) and the shop frontage.

To achieve a streamlined look and help maintain costs, all walls were a uniform height of 2400 centimetres and this also helped to delineate the new insertion and the existing shell above.

The design theme was based on an interpretation of glamorous European salons from the 1920s. White mosaic tiles and ribbed glass sliding doors were used as partitions, while white sheer curtains were added to achieve softness. For an additional touch of glamour, polished gold detailing was introduced. One of the products used in the salon, a pale green wax, was referenced and the colour introduced through the leather that covers the reception banquette and nail bar chairs.

Pink and green marble were combined and used to clad the reception desk, and at the rear of the store a degrade of green and white was used to create a feature through the installation of the custom Bisazza mosaic. The overall look and feel is one of quality and simplicity, glamour and restraint.

Project: Claire Françoise
Designer: David Hicks
Photographer: Shannon McGrath