WAS THE NEWSLETTER #138

#138

I’m Paige Wassel. WAS the Newsletter is your weekly dose of design inspiration, where sometimes we just need a few little upgrades.

To Demo or Not to Demo

There’s a common misconception that every project a designer takes on involves ripping out walls and spending an obscene amount of money. Not true at all. Some of my favorite projects are the complete opposite. Sometimes a space already has good bones; it just needs someone to come in and edit a few things. Make it feel like the best version of itself… like getting a haircut and maybe a balayage instead of a full surgical face-lift.

That’s kind of what happened with Rock Paper Salon in Echo Park.

I’ve been getting my hair cut there for a while. Over the years I became friends with Pablo, the owner. Every time I’d come in, we’d end up talking about design. He told me he’d been wanting to refresh the salon without doing a full renovation, but was that even a thing? Oh, it’s a thing alright. Plus, it sounded fun to me because I love those kinds of projects. Changing a space doesn’t always have to involve dudes in hardhats and a dumpster in the parking lot. So we started planning.

Our biggest goal was making everything feel warmer and a little more elevated while keeping the budget under control. If you’re a salon owner, the last thing you want is to spend so much on a cosmetic refresh that suddenly no one can afford a blowout. Good design shouldn’t automatically mean everything needs to become wildly more expensive to accommodate it.

Sending Farmhouse Back Where It Belongs

One of the first things we tackled was the lighting. When Pablo initially designed the salon, farmhouse was having a moment, which honestly… fair. We all made decisions in the late 2010s that we’d rather not discuss. IYKYK. We packed up those farmhouse fixtures, wished them well, and sent them back to the Little House on the Prairie reboot where they belong.

We replaced the ceiling lights with these sleek, clean chrome globe fixtures and swapped the sconces for something that leaned a little more modern with a subtle mid-century influence. The salon already had this restrained palette of whites, grays, chrome, and silver. Instead of introducing a bunch of new colors, we leaned harder into what was already working.

The floor got a fresh coat of paint, too. Before, it was a cooler blue-gray tone. Warming it up made a massive difference. People assume the expensive things are what transform a room, but sometimes changing the undertone of a floor completely reshuffles the vibes. (Again, like getting highlights.)

Stash the Stuff

One thing I immediately noticed was that every station had open shelving. It takes a lot to do a ‘do, and there are messy brushes, sprays, clips, color bowls, cords, etc. All of it’s necessary, but none of it is aesthetic, no matter how tidy the stylist.

I worked with my friend Emily Code from Code Studio, who designed these sleek wall-mounted plywood cabinets with frosted sliding doors for every stylist. They’re simple, they’re warm, and they hide all the tools that don’t necessarily need to become part of the decor. Emily also designed a larger cabinet over the shampoo area, which ties everything together without feeling overly designed. That’s always the sweet spot for me.

The best part is that we intentionally designed the cabinets so they aren’t permanently affixed to the building. If Pablo ever moves locations, he can literally take every cabinet with him. There’s a wrong assumption that “custom” equals “permanent.” Nope. Good design should also be practical.

The Chrome Wall That Almost Wasn’t

When you first walk into the salon there’s this giant wall. Pablo really wanted to do something interesting with it, something with impact. Originally, he talked about peel-and-stick wallpaper. As we looked at options, we realized that peel-and-stick is in one of two camps: incredibly cheesy, or prohibitively expensive… and often, both. (Ironically, it’s also far more difficult to install than traditional glue-based wallpaper because you can’t “float” it into alignment.)

Instead, we found this chrome paint that creates a reflective metallic finish. I wasn’t entirely confident how it was going to turn out, but paint doesn’t have to be a lifetime commitment, so we went for it. Turns out, the wall had way more texture than we expected. There was a solid minute where both of us were standing there, like, “Um…” But no worries, this ended up being a happy accident. The texture gives the chrome some character. It catches the light differently throughout the day, and instead of looking like a perfectly smooth metallic wall, it has all this movement… exactly what you’d want in a great haircut. (I’m beating this metaphor to death, but it’s apt, ya know?)

I especially love that this wall dovetails with the chrome accents on Rock Paper’s website. The wall gives the whole brand more cohesion, like the physical salon and the digital experience are speaking the same language.

I ❤️ Styling

Once everything was installed, I got to hunt down pieces on Facebook Marketplace, where I found a fab vintage bench. I also brought in a couple acrylic podiums, added flowers, and suddenly everything just… clicked. We photographed the space early one morning before clients came in so Pablo could update the website photos.

I swear every single photoshoot I convince myself I’ve completely ruined everything, so much so that it’s become part of my creative process. I’m always like, “These cabinets are good… right? The lights look okay… right?” Then we start shooting, I see the photos, and I’m all, “I feel like I might be great at this?”

Save Your Moola

The biggest takeaway from this project is that not every space needs a million-dollar renovation. Sometimes all it takes to make it over is better lighting or warmer paint. Or maybe it’s about hiding the clutter and adding one really beautiful vintage bench.

Those smaller decisions add up and they make the space more approachable. You could steal half of these ideas for your own house without spending a fortune, which is my favorite kind of design.

Anyway, if you’re in Los Angeles, get your hair cut at Rock Paper. Pablo is amazing. I’ve also seen a few of the other stylists there and they’re all great. Bonus? You’ll get to sit in one of my little upgraded stations while you’re there, which is a hell of a fine way to spend an afternoon.