FIRST RUNNER-UP: 2019 SALONS OF THE YEAR

Anthony DeFranco Salon & Spa
Plainview, New York
anthonydefranco.com
Owners: Anthony DeFranco and Pei Cheung
Salon style: Luxurious, sculptural, sophisticated
Square footage: 3,300
Stations: 20
Treatment rooms: 4
Manicure stations: 4
Pedicure stations: 2
Equipment: Salon Ambience
Furniture: Salon Ambience
Total Design Investment: $78,000
Retail lines: Private label, Oribe, Kerastase
Color line: Goldwell
Design by: P. DeBlasio Builders
Architects: Robert D. Henry
Photographer: Paul Warchol

Integrating the finest in contemporary salon design with a state-of-the-art spa, Anthony DeFranco Salon and Spa promotes full-body wellness, while creating a lasting and memorable experience for all who visit.

Upon entering the 3,300-square-foot space, guests are met with sweeping 13-foot-tall ceilings adorned with dramatic stalactite lighting pendants above a sensuous onyx reception desk. The loft space features floor-to-ceiling mirrored styling and color stations that offer clients a clear view of their full-body in transformation.

The stations are placed around the salon’s “runway,” a section of flooring that separates the cutting floor from the color area. Located behind the front desk to provide privacy, the color area is bisected by the runway, which leads to discreet shampoo stations in the back of the salon. High-energy areas dedicated to styling and color were purposely sectioned off from the lower-energy, quieter zones, such as the shampoo area, which is designed for relaxing scalp massages, and the private keratin treatment room. The adjacent manicure and pedicure area provide a seamless transition from the salon to the spa. Its four massage rooms create a warm, cocooning environment to coddle and pamper guests.

Spaces purposely blend into each other—for example the stainless steel counter and pass-through visually connect the shampoo and color areas while physically separating them by a long, sculptural towel storage cabinet that serves both sides.

Every detail has been carefully orchestrated, including the regal crocodile-embossed salon chairs, which are tufted with jeweled recessed buttons. Tall, monolithic styling stations and horizontal cantilevered towel cabinets provide functional storage between the shampoo area and the color bar.
In collaboration with the design team, Owner Anthony DeFranco sought to highlight specialty areas dedicated to styling and coloring.

“The styling area is placed adjacent to the windows for maximum light exposure, while the color area is partitioned by a black frame and soffit with a lower ceiling to distinguish and delineate the two spaces,” he says. “Our keratin treatment room is enclosed with glass and etched with a striped pattern to maintain privacy, while remaining open to the salon within the loft space.”