Curved Green Tile Walls Shape This Minimal Hair Salon
In a quiet pocket of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a hair salon named SONO has been recently completed by Inrestudio. From the moment you step inside, it feels less like entering a typical salon and more like moving through a shaped interior landscape that unfolds across two levels.
SONO takes its name from the Japanese word for garden, and that idea carries through the entire project in a subtle way.
Instead of introducing decorative references, the design focuses on a single continuous “wall” that becomes the main spatial element. It runs through both floors of the maisonette, guiding how each area is formed and experienced.
The existing white shell was left untouched, which makes the addition of this new interior form feel even more distinct. It is artificial in construction, yet it behaves almost like terrain, shifting and folding as it moves through the space.
Natural light filters through the interior, interacting with the wall’s surface and revealing changes in depth and direction.
On the ground floor, the experience begins in a straightforward sequence. The waiting area leads into the service counter, then into the styling area, and finally the shampoo zone at the rear. Each function follows the line of the wall, which remains geometric and clear in its expression.
The upper floor changes pace. The stair arrives near the centre, and from there the layout expands outward.
Four styling stations extend to one side, while the shampoo area sits opposite. Service rooms trace the perimeter, wrapping the space in a more intricate arrangement. Here, the wall shifts into curved arcs, reflecting the increased complexity of activity on this level.
Across both floors, the wall varies in height as it moves from front to back. This gradual change adds another layer to how each zone is experienced. Surfaces alternate between green tile and raw grey finishes, each side offering a different visual tone.
As you move through the salon, these surfaces appear and disappear, opening and closing views in a way that feels continuously in motion.
Rather than dividing the space in a rigid way, the design allows each function to emerge from the shape of the wall itself. The result is a salon interior that feels structured yet fluid, where every turn reveals a new relationship between form, light, and surface.
Architectural Drawings and Concept Images
Photography ©Hiroyuki Oki | Drawings and Concept: ©Inrestudio | Architect: Inrestudio | Lead Architect: Kosuke Nishijima | Design Team: Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, Kana Matsuzawa | Contractor: AHDECOR CONSTRUCTION INTERIOR
