Waited On, Hand and Foot

Kimberly Goad -- Interior Design, 8/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Tucked away on a New York side street, Jin Soon Natural Hand and Foot Spa occupies the 500-square-foot ground floor of a 19th-century tenement. Yet, for John Coughlan Architect, which was enlisted to transform this former antiques shop into a nail salon, it wasn't so much the smallness of the space that posed the biggest challenge—this spa is actually the largest of three that John Coughlan has designed for Jin Soon Choi. The tricky part the third time round was to determine how to work with a floor plate so narrow: The front half is only 9 feet across, the back half little more than 7.

"The extreme narrowness necessitated hyper-creative solutions. It needed to be tightly choreographed," the architect says—but without sacrificing the subtly Asian aesthetic.

Unlike assembly-line nail salons configured to handle a steady stream of quick treatments, Jin Soon pampers. So Coughlan had to walk a thin line between comfortable and cluttered. After gutting the space, he selected walnut flooring and composed a simple layout with four manicure stations in front, four pedicure stations in back, and, in between, a waxing room enclosed by a custom copper screen on one end and a vinyl-covered plywood partition on the other.

Connecting the three areas visually, a delicate shelving system runs along one sidewall, nearly spanning the salon's 45-foot length. The supports are slender poles of black-painted aluminum; the walnut shelves are just deep enough to accommodate a single row of nail-polish bottles, 600 in all. Together, the intersecting verticals and horizontals add a three-dimensional quality while surrendering only 11/2 inches of space. The effect is doubled by the mirror fronting the restroom door at the very back.

Everything multitasks. Up front, for example, nail-polish remover and lotion are stored inside manicurists' stools. The tubular-steel base of each rectangular walnut tabletop contains an electric outlet that powers a nail drier.

The storefront's new bay window maximizes natural light. Further illumination comes from halogen spotlights recessed in the ceiling above the pedicure stations. A frosted-glass pendant fixture brightens each manicure station. And an ambient glow emanates from behind the display wall, thanks to halogens installed in vertical channels and softened by translucent styrene panels.

Adding a splash of color to the soothing overall palette of pale yellows and deep browns is the luxurious burgundy-and-gold silk that covers the pedicure area's plump cushions and bolsters. Definitely not intended for commercial use, the fabric will have to be replaced yearly. But the choice is in keeping with Choi's philosophy. "For my clients to have a good experience," she says, "every detail counts."

At Jin Soon Natural Hand and Foot Spa in New York, silk-upholstered seats are mounted on honed-granite slabs in the rear pedicure area; flooring throughout is walnut.

Clockwise from top left: A copper canopy caps the new front window. The waxing room's custom screen is also copper. Polished river stones fill the gap beneath a custom display wall of walnut and painted aluminum; the styrene covering the channel is backlit by halogens. The front manicure area is furnished with Tyler Hays's chairs and custom stools, all walnut, as well as Rico Espinet's pendant fixtures in frosted glass.

SLAB STONE (PEDICURE AREA): THROUGH ASTORIA MARBLE. CUSHION FABRIC: RODOLPH. WALL COVERING: MAYA ROMANOFF CORPORATION. DISPLAY WALL LUMBER: DIMENSION DESIGNS. DISPLAY WALL METAL: YARDE METALS. STONES: THROUGH CHELSEA GARDEN CENTER. MILLWORK (EXTERIOR): PIROS FURNITURE. METAL: IDEAL STEEL SUPPLY CORP. SCREEN METAL (WAXING ROOM): TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATION. PENDANT FIXTURES (MANICURE AREA): ROBERT ABBEY THROUGH DESIGN WITHIN REACH. CHAIRS: BDDW. CUSTOM STOOLS, TABLETOPS: STYLO WOODWORK DESIGN. SEATING FABRIC: POLLACK. RECESSED CEILING FIXTURES: LIGHTOLIER. FLOORING: HOBOKEN FLOORS. PAINT: BENJAMIN MOORE CO. CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANT: CARLOS ARTURO CONTRACTING. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: VANDALAY INDUSTRIES.