5 clever small nail salon interior design ideas

When opening your own nail business, you will face various obstacles - that’s for sure. One of them may be having a very limited space to arrange your salon. Numerous businesses face the tough reality of trying to create both a functional and appealing nail salon design in such circumstances, and not all of them can make it work. So how to design a nail salon if you don’t have much room to work with? Let’s take a look at five cunning nail salon interior design ideas that will make your small salon pop!

1. Pick a theme for your nail salon decor

We always encourage beauty business owners to find and enhance their unique point of difference. Salons with a strong theme are loved by clients, memorable, easier to advertise, much more likely to gain wide recognisability and get a word-of-mouth marketing boost right from the bat. It’s much easier to hide a limited room space if the size of the salon is the last thing a client would pay attention to. Yes, the goal here is to make your nail salon simply too cool-looking for customers to even care about its size. A mysterious curtain of ivies from a secret garden, a 70s vibe straight out of “Grease”, a rough, industrial look full of concrete, bricks and cold lights… in some cases, you can even make the small space seem like an intentional element of your branding. Turn your nail salon into a cockpit of a spacecraft, hang star-shaped lamps, cover the walls with a photo wallpaper with the milky way… and suddenly you have all the space you need ;) Bad puns aside - a creative approach really helps when it comes to planning a nail salon interior design that has to fit a tiny space. The most famous and hyped salons in the industry know it well - having your unique gimmick, even if only visual, can work wonders. However, if you decide to go this route, it’s important that you...

2. Don’t stop halfway

With some things, it’s either go big or go home. A strong nail salon theme done with passion usually equals success, while doing it half-heartedly can actually work to your disadvantage. If you are inspired, enthusiastic and already have a few nail salon room ideas, then all the power to you - an original interior has to look intentional. A minimalistic approach done halfway may look meagre instead of stylish. A retro look done halfway may look outdated instead of charming. A rustic design done halfway may look clumsy instead of cosy. If you don’t feel like rocking a certain style, look for something different or just settle on a less original, but still very coherent design - when lacking vision and drive, you are likely to create a sad hotch-potch of mismatched furniture and inconsistent decor.

3. Opt for a statement piece in your nail salon design

Setting up a focal point of your interior is a clever trick to create the impression of tidiness and orderliness. It may sound like a paradox, but filling a small-scale space with one, big statement piece works better than spreading yourself too thin with numerous little bits of furniture. Things that may become a statement piece in your salon are:

A pedicure chair - now, due to the nature of your work, it’s very probable it will be the biggest appliance in your work area (these things are enormous!). Instead of fighting this situation, embrace it - decorate your salon in accordance with the colour, texture and embroidery of your pedicure chair (or chairs).
A manicure table - a similar situation to the aforementioned, relevant if you are to design a manicure shop. Manicure tables are not always so dominant, though the more complex ones can easily become the focal point of the interior. If yours is rather small and lacks character, you can boost it with clever lighting and the usage of colours and patterns around.
A nail polish display - you can go with shelves, a wall organiser, stand holder, cupboard, wall cabinet or something unique and custom-made - the only thing that limits you is your creativity. Such a display, if done right, can become a significant part of your decor. When you are looking for nail salon design ideas, you are very likely to encounter tips for making an art piece out of your polish display - it’s necessary to have one and relatively easy to make it look gorgeous.
Waiting chairs or a sofa - if your limited space allows for a few waiting chairs or sofa, they can make up for a great statement piece. Interesting texture, pattern, colour or embellishment will make it stand out even more. A reception desk - again, this applies to you only if your limited space allows for one and if you employ a receptionist. It can be a very impressive focal point of the interior, especially as the front office is the first thing a client notices when they walk into the salon, though it’s rare for smaller salons to be able to fit the reception area in their limited space.

4. Use the unusable space

Do you want to add some adornment but the room is fully packed with needed furniture and equipment? Actually, you still have free space to arrange - your walls and/or your ceiling!

Nail salon wall decor

Try not to think about your walls as dreadful jail bars that limit your space, but as your canvases - there are so many ways to turn them into art pieces!

Shelves, wall organisers, hanging cabinets - thanks to them, you can keep your tools and your smaller pieces of decor (like flowers or candles) over the ground without cluttering the room with standing furniture. They can be incredibly creative and cool-looking - especially those hexagonal ones that remind honeycombs, or those hanging on hemp ropes to fit your rustic interior. Or glass ones powered by LED lights for your modern nail salon design. Nowadays, the furniture market is full of really impressive concepts to meet different needs and style choices.
Sconces - sometimes hanging lamps visually weigh down small rooms. Wall sconces are a perfect remedy and can be placed strategically to draw attention to certain elements of the interior.
Statement walls - if you cover all walls with a pattern, strong colour, photo wallpaper or any other kind of embellishment, it can be overwhelming, especially in a smaller interior. Instead, choose one to be your accent wall - it’s very on-trend, looks great and can serve you as a background for taking photos.
Posters, pictures, paintings and other creative pieces of wall decor - similarly to the previous point, you can hang all on one wall to make a little gallery.
Mirrors - by reflecting the interior, they make the room appear larger.

Nail salon ceiling decor

Ceiling lighting - it will not weigh down the room as a hanging lamp would and can be a great statement piece.
Ceiling mural - they are super impressive and can completely change the vibe of the interior. A dreamy blue sky will be perfect if you need something subtle - for a bold look, choose something dramatic, like gloomy tree crowns (or Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel paintings!).

5. Be mindful about colours and patterns

Lastly - a few quick tips on how to trick the eye so that your salon looks bigger.

Choosing the same colour for walls, floor and appliances will make them blend in and optically widen the space.
Lighter shades enlarge the space visually.
Colour-coding your shelves makes them look more orderly.
Vertical stripes make the area look higher, horizontal ones - wider.
Putting an element that catches attention high draws the eye upwards, making the room seem higher.
Transparent and translucent materials make everything behind them appear further away.
Furniture with legs creates a more open feel than one that sits directly on the ground.

Preparing a small salon interior design requires thinking things through, but the final effect can be absolutely breathtaking. Petite salons have a unique charm and with a few clever adjustments you can turn yours into a truly magical place. Fortunately, nowadays you can use digital facilities such as Booksy thanks to which you don’t even have to bother with planning how to cram the reception area into your small interior. Try the software today!