About the project
Brand Creative designed Rossano Ferretti, Abu Dhabi, the internationally-renowned celebrity hairdresser’s second middle-eastern hair spa. This project involved redefining a massive villa to create a luxury space with every detail and twist of intricate design.
The villa location was previously a residential building that required extensive renovation to transform the space into a fully operational salon with two hair salon spaces, multiple beauty treatment rooms and a café for clients with an outdoor terrace. For the façade, the designer proposed a design that would transform the exterior from the traditional stonework, which is typical within the neighbourhood, to a bold look featuring contemporary wooden tiles and protruding copper components.
Converting the original villa from an outdated residential use to both an architectural and interior contemporary commercial space was challenging. Local authorities needed convincing that the proposal for the façade and introduction of wood elements and copper balcony “pop outs” would honour the neighbourhood’s existing theme of traditional stonework.
A mandatory fire escape stairwell was required for the conversion, so an industrialized black metal concept that would contrast with the whitewash of the new building was made. Instead of hiding the contraption, the designer welcomed it onto the new outdoor terrace where the feature lands in a sculptural way to be appreciated by clients enjoying the facilities café.
The new conservatory in the nail spa and plenty of new floor-to-ceiling windows wash the space in natural light bringing freshness to the ground floor. Grey, linear white marble with an offset installation was part of capitalizing on how visual texture could play with the light, whilst keeping a unique identity to the Abu Dhabi villa. Each feature was carefully selected to contribute to the dramatic ambience.
Rosanno Ferretti maintains a contemporary, monochromatic theme throughout all of its locations. The new salon stays true to its signature visual identity while working towards high-contrast features that would capitalize on the natural light throughout the villa. The approach was to develop areas of high contrast by combining classic black & white marble with complimenting finishes such as black slate, illuminated stone and chrome.
Being a salon, hygiene and maintenance were of high importance. Marbles were coated with speciality finishes to add anti-slip qualities and impenetrable working surfaces. Woods were lacquered with “diamond top coats” to create non-marking, washable areas. Finishes on horizontal surfaces needed to be hygienic, non-porous and easily maintained, yet it was imperative to the client that luxury, comfort and warmth were conveyed.
The fit-outs were executed by Newline Interiors and they utilized Arreis – a sustainable design fiberboard. Walls located in high-traffic areas were protected by durable vinyl wall coverings and porcelain tile. The salon and nail room seating feature pearlescent, anti-microbial vinyl that was tested for beauty product resistance to staining.
Lighting studies helped achieve a soft, relaxing ambience, whilst enabling optimal working conditions. To achieve this balance, custom features such as pendants were prototyped and manufactured locally. Recessed LED downlights were used to reduce energy consumption while offering an extended lamp-life.
The unique combination of marble, paint-finish metal, glass mirror and light fixtures in darker black-grey hues allowed to express elegance and style of the brand and create the soothing atmosphere of a beauty destination, at the same time.
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