The Rainbow Room International George Square salon is one of twelve Rainbow Room International salons based in and around Glasgow. The George Square salon is one of the group’s most central Glasgow salons. Based in iconic George Square in Glasgow and situated within the historic Merchants House Building, it is one of areas most known squares surrounded by architecturally important buildings, shops, bars and restaurants. We never stop talking about how architecture and location play a vital role in a salon’s interior design and branding.
The George Square salon opened in 2000 and was the third salon opened by the brand. Salon Owner’s and Directors, Dylan Brittain and Yasmine Mcmail have been with the brand since the beginning of their careers, training with the group and working their way up the career ladder to become Salon Directors.
Complete transformation
Celebrating their 20th anniversary and not having a complete refurbishment since opening, the salon was ready for an update and fresh new look. Dylan and Yasmine planned their mood board of the salon together and wanted to bring something International to Glasgow. Taking their inspiration from places they had been to and loved around the world, including Paris and New York, their vision was for the salon to look timeless and to have an expensive feel that had a Parisian Salon and New York Loft vibe. 
Modern, on trend colours including blush pink, emerald green and dark blue were used which depicted a very elegant and high-end feel, however, they still wanted to highlight the period of the building and its incredible features. Panelling was brought in to fit in with the architecture and the pillars were exposed to create a designated waiting area. The building also had several original fireplaces, and the main fireplace was kept in the reception area where clients can wait before their appointment. Designworks, were also brought in to help with the interiors of the salon. The interior designer at Designworks is a client of the salon and therefore understood the layout and what would work well in the space to make it really stand out.
To enhance the salon, hanging pendant lights were included in the main salon area and at reception and large dried bouquets were also brought in to give the salon texture and further style. Touches of gold were added to give room’s warmth and a welcoming feel, whilst also adding glamour and sophistication. One of the main features in the salon is the Schwarzkopf Colour Bar, where stylists can go to mix up their colour and that stands out in its own area within the salon.
The salon before and after
The refurbishment took eight weeks in total and was set to re-open in March when the country went into lockdown. Therefore, the official opening date of the new refurb was when salons could reopen on 22 July.
the salon before
Dylan Brittain and Yasmin Mcmail, Owners and Directors of the Rainbow Room International George Square salon, comment: “We’re delighted to now have the refurb finished and the salon re-open. One of our favourite things about the salon is the exposed windows. We have incorporated a lot of glass therefore it’s adding a lot more light into the salon. We love the grandness of it and it feels more like a hotel rather than a salon. We also love all the original features. We were very fortunate we didn’t have many challenges at all throughout the refurb process aside from the COVID pandemic which held things back a bit. However, the reactions from clients have been fantastic. The timing of it hasn’t been good as we had so many events planned for our grand opening but at the same time it’s been a real “feel good factor” for clients. They have been blown away and you can see how proud and ecstatic they are about the salon. The salon allows them to have a couple of hours of escapism and relaxation time where they can enjoy being pampered in luxury surroundings.”
the salon after refurbishment
The salon looks stunning and even though things have been tough for hair businesses this year, the way clients have embraced it and the general anticipation for all salons to re-open shows how important staying ahead and keep on doing the best in order to upgrade is – especially these days. We wish them best of luck but we know that they will thrive.
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