25 Barber Shop Design Ideas If you’re a barber looking to open a barber shop, it’s important to build a brand that will attract customers. The right barber shop design can take your business to the next level and create the perfect customer experience. When executed properly, your shop’s aesthetic should make clients feel relaxed, welcomed and even excited about their haircut.
From the decor style to the chairs and lighting to the wall colors and decorations, there are many vintage and modern barber shop designs to consider. Some interior design ideas are better suited for small barber shops where you need to blend functionality with style, while other shop layouts require a big space to fully build-out your creative concepts.
Whether you want simple and cool or stylish and luxury decor, your barber shop should complement your style and reflect the types of clients you want to attract. To inspire your search, we’ve compiled the best barber shop design ideas to explore. Check out these amazing modern barber shop interior designs to find examples of layouts, colors, lighting, and decorations that will work to enhance client satisfaction.
Barber Shop Interior Design Ideas
Decor Style
There are endless amounts of options when it comes to potential barbershop designs. The most iconic barbershop design that most people picture features chrome hydraulic chairs, a checkerboard floor, and the classic barber pole with red, white, and blue stripes.
A barber who intends to offer an old-fashioned barbershop experience should let that inform their design choices. You could design your shop to be a replica of the classic style. If you want to provide old-fashioned services but slightly update the decor, combine traditional and modern elements to create a balanced vibe.
Barbers can also create completely custom barbershop themes that will elevate the client experience. A barbershop that specializes in beard grooming might lean into rustic building materials that can be dressed in an ironic hipster style. A barbershop geared towards business and high-end clients might be sleek and modern. An upfront investment when opening up your barbershop can help increase the likelihood that your business becomes successful.
Ultimately, it is important for barbers to choose decor that supports the kinds of services they will provide. Many of the best barber shops in Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Las Vegas, Houston, and Atlanta have created a unique interior design and atmosphere that also serves as a marketing tool to attract new customers.
Wall Color and Decor
When a barber has settled on the decor style, he should select wall colors and decorative accents that complement that design. Every aspect of the room, from the color palette to each piece of furniture, builds on the theme and continues to contribute that future customer experience.
Walls are the canvas that the rest of the decor is built upon. Wall colors and materials should be selected with that in mind. A barbershop with a rustic theme might feature a wood-paneled wall, while one with a more industrial modern design may have exposed concrete walls. An upscale men’s club-inspired barbershop may feature dark navy or forest green paint or wallpaper with a subtle pattern.
Barber Chairs
The most significant part of the customer experience happens in the barber chair, making the types of chairs you get an integral part of the design of a barbershop. Like any professional, it is crucial to invest in quality barbering tools. First and foremost, a barber chair should be both comfortable for the customer and stylist. Chairs typically feature hydraulics so that the stylist can adjust it to the height that gives them the best angle to cut hair. If you plan on offering hot towel straight razor shaves or beard grooming services, you’ll want chairs that lean back.
Barbershop chairs are available in a variety of different decor styles. Barbers should research trustworthy brands and then look for a style that fits your design and space. Barbershop chairs for a modern design style will be sleek and low-profile and can often be found in materials like chrome and black vinyl. Popular color combinations are black and gold, red and white, black and silver, and dark brown and tan, but you can customize your chair to fit your preferences.
A barbershop chair in an upscale men’s club-inspired salon is usually more extravagantly padded and comfortable for a luxurious experience.
Barber Pole
Barber poles are arguably the most iconic element in barbershop design. Their usage also dates back to when barbers performed medical procedures in addition to giving haircuts and grooming facial hair. The original color scheme of a barber pole used to represent blood (red), bandages (white), and veins (blue).
Since barbers don’t tend to double as healers these days, the original meaning behind the barber pole is obsolete. Many barbershops still feature them though, because they are such a recognizable symbol and can grab the attention of potential clients walking by.
But if a barber wanted to set their shop apart, they could put their own twist on this classic feature by changing the colors to match their chosen color scheme. You can also change the building materials to coordinate with the design style. A more modern barbershop might boast a sleek chrome-edged pole, while a more rustic shop might feature a distressed painted wood pole.
Signage In The Front
Your sign is often the first impression a customer gets of your business. Even though it’s just one small element of your decor, it should serve as a strong representation of your brand. Everything from the layout to the font to the logo should be carefully thought-out and representative of your decor.
An old-fashioned barbershop might feature a vintage-inspired sign, while a hip urban barbershop might feature a graffiti-inspired sign. A barbershop that offers beard grooming may also incorporate a graphic image of a bearded man into their logo. These are all great examples of ways your sign can enhance barbershop decor.
Flooring
There are two main factors barbers should keep in mind when selecting flooring for their shop: functionality and style. Barbershop floors need to be swept multiple times a day to clear away hair and whiskers that have fallen during haircuts and facial hair grooming. A carpeted floor, therefore, wouldn’t make any sense.
There are a variety of flooring types that work in a barbershop. A barber who is trying to emulate a classic barbershop style might opt for a classic black-and-white checked tile or linoleum floor. A barbershop with rustic decor, on the other hand, might feature an engineered hardwood floor. Engineered hardwood is more durable than authentic hardwood and will last longer on a heavily-trafficked area like a barbershop floor.
Create A Comfortable Waiting Area
Before the customer reaches the barber’s chair, they will likely need to sit in the waiting room for at least a few minutes. The right waiting room decor can help set the tone for the rest of the visit by helping the customer get into the right mental mindset to fully enjoy the experience.
Every aspect of the waiting area can contribute to the overall experience. When barbers are trying to create a soothing spa experience, the waiting room should feature comfortable chairs and soft piped-in music. Meanwhile, a barbershop geared towards business professionals might feature finance magazines for patrons to page through while they wait.
Barber Shop Lighting
The right lighting is important for setting the mood in barbershop decor, but there are also functional considerations to keep in mind. The barber needs to be able to see what they’re doing so they can deliver the best possible haircut or shave. The best way to achieve the perfect balance of style and form is to use a variety of lighting sources throughout the shop.
Your barber shop lights can reflect a modern, industrial, old-school or rustic style, but the decor will need to match the overall vibe of your shop and layout. When setting up lighting in a barbershop, it’s best to combine brighter overhead lighting with warmer lights around the mirrors. The bright overhead light allows plenty of visibility, while the warmer lights near the client’s face are flattering and confidence-building.
Front Desk and Product Displays
A haircut or a shave is just one part of the barbershop experience. Selling hair care products can enhance the customer experience by allowing them to better maintain their style between sessions. It can also provide an important revenue stream for barbershops.
Products tend to make the strongest visual impact when staged on specially designed freestanding fixtures or feature walls. Keeping them near the front desk also allows an additional opportunity to suggest products for clients as they check out. Barbers should do their research on the psychology behind retail layouts as they put their shop design together.
Build A Bar Area
One way that barbershops are enhancing the traditional experience is by bringing in libations. Details like this elevate a barbershop trip from a regular errand to a special experience. If a barber goes to the effort of getting the right licenses to serve alcohol in their shop, they should take the extra step to ensure that the beverages served will enhance the experience.
If a barbershop features art deco-inspired decor, it would be fun to serve era-appropriate beverages from a secret speakeasy-inspired bar area. A casual barbershop that features sports games on TV screens on the other hand might serve beer on tap.
Branding
In the current era, interior design and decor shouldn’t just focus on a physical space. A barber’s choice of decor should also tie into their branding.
Branding is the way a business establishes its identity in both print and digital marketing. Branding is made up of a combination of a logo, font, color scheme, and personal messaging which can be found throughout a business’s website, business cards, social media icons, and more. If a barbershop makes its own products to sell, its labels should also be consistent with the theme of the brand.
Good barbershop branding should be cohesive with a barbershop’s interior decor style. A modern, upscale barbershop could pick high-end glossy cardstock and sleek contemporary design elements, while a classic barbershop might use vintage fonts and elements in their branding.
Good Natural Layout Focused on The Basics
No matter what decor style a barbershop owner chooses, there are certain design basics to keep in mind. Even the most creative decor theme should be functional and user-friendly or it will detract from a barber’s productivity and the customer experience.
For instance, the front desk should be positioned right at the entrance or there should be a clear eye-line from the desk to the front door so that customers can be greeted. The furniture layout should create pathways for customers to move easily from the waiting room to the barber chair.
As a consumer-facing business, signs and murals should avoid controversial statements to maintain a positive atmosphere. No matter how classy and cool you want your barbershop design to be, the goal is to build a successful business.
