New York hair salon Hawthorne Studio is designed for social distancing

Wooden frames, moveable styling stations and plants are used to encourage social distancing in this New York hair salon, which local studio BoND designed during the coronavirus pandemic.

BoND, led by architecture duo Noam Dvir and Daniel Rauchwerger, began working on the design of Hawthorne Studio in January this year, just a few months before coronavirus lockdown in New York.

In response to the pandemic, they worked with salon founder Garrett Bryant to develop a design suited to public health regulations by promoting six feet (two metres) between patrons.

"In the past few months we are seeing retail spaces being adapted to social distance measures in varying degrees of success, installing floor stickers and roping to better control the number and flow of people," said Rauchwerger.

"Our approach was to introduce light interventions like wood frames, plants or lighting fixtures to mark off areas."

Hawthorne Studio opened this month inside the loft of a landmarked building in Manhattan neighbourhood Chelsea as part of Phase II of New York's reopening plan. The existing space is stripped back and decorated with stained-black wooden floors and bright white painted walls and ceilings.

Simple wooden frames separate spaces that lead into the salon to ensure clients keep safe distances. It starts with a foyer where their personal protective equipment and temperature are checked, with an adjacent bathroom for washing hands.

The next section is a lounge where one client is allowed to wait at a time.

"The idea was to allow the hairstylists to monitor people coming in and out of the space, without putting any walls up," said Dvir. "While light in appearance, the frames are impactful in creating distinct areas."

Moveable styling stations comprise arched mirrors in bronze frames set in marble stone plinths. Both the styling chairs and the mirrors are designed so they can be moved to six-feet apart and santised in between appointments.Over time, as restrictions ease, BoND intends to increase the amount of stations in the salon.

Other social-distancing features include large pots with Ficus trees and Monsteras sourced from a nearby flower market.

They are arranged to separate the main salon from the area for hair washing. The greenery picks up on murals on the walls of the salon, which BoND design to draw on the colorful papercut works of French artist Henry Matisse

Towards the rear of the salon, there is a wooden dining table and chairs for consultation, where only one client and hairdresser is permitted at a time. Additional furnishings include rice paper light fixtures from Hay and wall mount sconces from CB2.

A number of public spaces have been adapted in response to pandemic so they can reopen safely as lockdown measures ease. New York's The city's High Line park also reopened with 1,000 painted green dots graphic designer Paula Scher created as markers for social distancing.

BoND was established by Dvir and Rauchwerger, former employees of OMA, in 2017. The studio's other projects include the transformation of a dark, divided Chelsea apartment into light-filled home.

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