Men’s barber Ginza Matsunaga, run by Mikio Matsunaga, opened in 1968 and the company now has branches in Ginza and beyond. Its two most recently opened Tokyo salons are by architect Koji Kakitani.

Ginza Matsunaga de Classe sits inside an upmarket building. “The client needed private spaces to cater for VIP customers,” says Kakitani. “Our materials were ceramic tiles and wood, finished in a way that showcased the handmade aspect. You can see how the tiles were shaped and how the wooden panels and floorboards were laid out. We asked the craftsmen to make a feature of the materials.”

Ginza Matsunaga Kyobashi Edogrand, targeted at style-conscious salarymen, is designed to be more approachable. “We used coarse-grained wood and indirect lighting to make the salon feel modern and warm,” says Kakitani. A row of barber chairs from Takara Belmont complete the set-up.“Lighting is the most important element,” adds Kakitani. “How you control light can change the entire space; facial expressions and hairstyles look completely different depending on how the light falls.”
kakitani-a.co.jp; ginzamatsunaga.com

Mook occupies the ground floor of an unremarkable apartment building set on a narrow residential street in Nakazakicho, Osaka. Owner Kunihiro Murota had been running the salon for 12 years when he decided it was time to renovate. “I didn’t want to commission a hair-salon architect,” he says. “I wanted someone who designed other things and I liked Takeshi Okuwada’s work – he thinks about the people who will be using a space and his designs aren’t too busy.”

Okuwada, who has designed a number of private houses, wanted to make something that reflected Murota’s work. “I noticed that his haircuts are easy to maintain so I tried to create a long-lasting design,” he says. “The interior of a salon should be in the background; it shouldn’t speak too loudly.” The materials are simple: polished concrete for the floor and oak for the walls. “I used irregular oak planks with just the raw natural finish. The grain runs in the direction of the entrance where light comes in from the street so the surface looks different over the course of the day.”

Realising that clients are often looking up, he covered the ceiling in oak as well. The wood, he says, is practical too. “Hair-salon interiors can be humid and the oak can absorb some of the moisture.” Murota says the design immediately made the salon more comfortable. “Our customers find it cosy and stylish; that’s important since they spend a couple of hours here. They like the premium feeling.”
okuwada.com; mook-hair.com

Tokyo-based architect Ryo Matsui has designed five salons, including Linda in Minami-Aoyama, a fashionable area of Tokyo dense with hairdressers. The salon, owned by Keizo Matsumura, sits atop a 30-year-old, four-storey building and retains its original three-room layout.

“I wanted to commission someone who would respect the building and the environment,” says Matsumura. “Matsui-san was already my [hairdressing] client then. I asked him to come with me to view this property. It was empty and I couldn’t imagine what kind of hair salon could be created there. But he said he could design a great space – he knew my taste well.”

“Keizo wanted a space that he could use for a long time,” says Matsui. “I suggested giving each of the three rooms a different ambience.” He used distinct woods in each – oak, walnut and teak – and paired them with materials such as brass and an uneven sprayed sakan (plaster) finish for walls and ceiling. “Every hairdresser has a different vision and different expectations so I need to cater to each client’s specific needs,” says Matsui. “People are more conscious about sustainable design now and that shapes the materials I use.

“Men’s awareness of personal grooming has changed dramatically, while women’s has diversified. Salons are heading in a genderless direction. Clients can still ask me to design a women’s salon but there’s no longer a clear line in interior design between masculine and feminine.”
matsui-architects.com; linda.ne.jp