The Nitty Gritty On My Commercial Design Project

This salty design is amazing…

If you follow me on social media, you’ve probably heard that I recently finished designing a spectacular commercial space. The beautiful Salt Works Spa. The design in this spa is amazing! So, what in the world is a salt spa? Well, it’s just one of those ancient alternative treatments that many other countries have been using for hundreds of years, but is just beginning to gain some traction in the United States (surprise, surprise right?)

Halo…what???  Halotherapy

Salt therapy is also known as halotherapy and has many health benefits. A salt room session is a 45-minute all natural, therapeutic treatment that is both anti-bacterial and anti-viral. Pharmaceutical grade Himalayan salt is granulated into a micronized dry aerosol and dispersed into the beautiful salt room.  All you need to do is breathe.

The Himalayan salt bricks (which were imported from Pakistan) are lit up on the walls and there is fine pink salt all over the floor.  One of the spa owners laid each and every brick by hand. Talk about a labor of love!! Check out a few before and afters below.

               

  

Being surrounded by 250+ million-year-old salt from the floor to the ceiling is something that must be experienced. It’s pretty spectacular! OK, enough about the therapeutic details, I really had nothing to do with that. My only job was to make everything look pretty. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty!

“Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start…”

This project started back in December 2017. My client was very concerned about what she referred  to as the, “cozy space.”  This is where clients can rest, relax, grab a cup of tea and a biscotti.

This sofa looks like it belongs in a frat house…

We had decided on leather for the sofas because it’s durable enough for the wear & tear of a commercial space. The first few sofas the salesperson showed us were terrible. My face said it all…SERIOUSLY? “Can I be honest? These sofas look like they belong in the basement of a frat house, in-between the massive TV and the beer pong table.”  Not the look I was going for. The message I was trying convey was,”I’m a relaxing spa. Sit down and stay awhile.”

Can I be honest…???

I voiced my opinions and my client completely agreed. We were looking for sleek, contemporary, but also comfortable sofas. Not ones with huge rolled arms and overstuffed cushions that could probably be found in millions of “Man Caves” across the country.

We had already selected Sherwin Williams Repose Gray for the walls, white trim, white cabinets and a gorgeous luxury vinyl flooring that was beige, taupe, brown and black.  A perfect choice for the durability of a commercial design.

As we began shopping for the perfect sofas, I was leaning towards gray.  Not because it’s a trendy color, because it’s neutral and timeless (that’s right, gray IS a neutral).  Now, the concern became, “Jenna, isn’t my whole spa going to look gray and white?  I need it to have some color.”

This is where a mood board comes in handy…

I present clients with design concept mood boards (pictured on the left) so they can see the vision that is already living in my head (along with every song lyric from the 80’s!) A mood board was used to show that there would be plenty of color, that I was planning on pulling from the logo and branding. The response?.. “I never would have been able to visualize this.” Well, that is why I was hired. I could see this design through the knocked down walls, missing ceiling, broken sheetrock, wires and tools.  It’s just what my brain does and I can’t shut it down, even if I wanted to.

Here are the actual before and after photos of the “Cozy Space.”

      

You can see on the wall above, where painter’s tape was used to map out the placement of the pictures and the sconces. I use this tape all the time. It can be a lifesaver when it comes to visualizing new items in a space and save you from costly mistakes!

 

 

My clients fell in love with the stunning Lexi pendant light below, but one was just not big enough to hold the space. I decided to have 3 hung in a cluster at different heights.

           

And the amazing before & afters continue…

This space below is home to all the products and bath salts. I think it may be my favorite part of the project.

      

         

 

These live edge wood shelves added a warm, rustic feel and the steel pipes used to hang them are a nod to an industrial look. Check out the modern twists with the vessel sink, waterfall faucet and glass pendant lights. Who says you can’t mix decor styles?  You just need a vision for how all the elements will work together.

A show stopper was needed as clients entered the space to “Wow” them immediately.  Here are some pics of the front desk and entry table area. More Himalayan salt is lit up in the front desk.

                           

This live edge wood table, custom logo design and tower of salt lamps greet you as soon as you walk in the door.  It really sets the mood.

Along with the entry, front desk, “cozy space” and product area there are massage, facial, body wrap and sauna rooms. We stayed with the same flooring and paint color throughout the whole spa to keep consistency. I knew all of the furnishings and decorative elements would bring enough color and variety.

Wouldn’t you just love to treat yourself to a relaxing massage in this room?  The diamond shaped lit up salt bricks on the wall create a soft glow to further add to the relaxed feel of this spectacular space!

You can get your sweat on in this beautiful sauna. It has many different settings, one being -weight-loss. Wondering if I go in 3x a day, if I could be a size 4 by Christmas???  Hmm…

Part of the sauna is pictured in the above photo.

From the raw rustic elements to the contemporary and sleek, this spa is simply stunning everywhere you turn. No detail was overlooked. The most beautiful part of this spa, is the genuine love and passion the owners have for what they do. Helping them achieve their dream and to be a trusted part of the journey, has been an honor.