Architecture firm Unknown Works has completed an innovative hair salon design that revolutionizes the traditional salon experience by integrating sound and club culture into hairdressing. The new SALT Salon, located on Stoney Street in London's Borough Market, represents the hair brand's second venue and features a comprehensive sound system designed to create different acoustic environments throughout the day.

The salon occupies three levels of a historic listed brick building, with each floor serving distinct hairdressing functions while maintaining unique spatial and acoustic identities. The embedded sound system is fully programmable, allowing the space to transform from ambient morning sessions to textured afternoon experiences and immersive evening events. This innovative approach positions the salon as both a service provider and an entertainment venue.

The first floor features a dedicated listening room that doubles as a performance and event space, equipped with flexible infrastructure that allows seamless transitions between service and event modes. The floor includes cutting stations and a reception area that transforms into a bar during evening hours. The central gathering space is defined by large galvanized steel loudspeakers created using roboforming, an energy-efficient digital fabrication technology.

Unknown Works developed specialized roboformed metal joinery for the project using salvaged materials from Blythe House, the former storage facility used by the Science Museum, British Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum. The collection has since moved to the new VA East Storehouse designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The firm previously utilized 225 Blythe House shelves to construct the Energy Revolution Gallery, an 800-square-meter permanent gallery for the Science Museum that won the fit-out category in the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards.

The salon's custom speakers were developed in partnership with startup Friendly Pressure, a company specializing in UK sound system culture. The second floor houses an open-plan cutting area featuring a continuous mirror made from stainless steel sheet with a gradation finish ranging from buffed to mottled surfaces, creating varying levels of privacy and reflection. Staff facilities including a break room, kitchen, and social space are separated by a silicone divider.

The top level serves as the color floor and features a suspended half-ton sculptural mirror workstation hanging from the original timber rafters. Constructed from ultra-bright stainless steel, the installation also functions as a sound diffuser. The floor is intentionally designed to become stained over time from hair dye use, creating a visual record of the creative process. Custom modular chairs throughout the building are manufactured from recycled foam and engineered to absorb low-frequency sound.

Floor-to-ceiling suspended silicone panels help dampen acoustic reflections throughout the space. Unknown Works also designed bio-resin lights that serve as imprints of the formed metal panels, adding another layer of visual interest to the interior. The comprehensive acoustic treatment ensures optimal sound quality for both hairdressing services and musical performances.

"This listed Victorian storehouse has been boldly reimagined as a space where sound operates as both material and medium," said Ben Hayes, director of Unknown Works. "Every element, from the bespoke loudspeakers to the acoustic furniture, has been precisely tuned to create an entirely new salon experience. It's a fundamental rethinking of what these spaces can be."

SALT Salon founder John Paul Scott expressed his vision for the project, stating: "My ethos has always been to create the best hairdressing space for people to work in and visit, that caters for everyone. One of the things I love about hairdressing salons is that they are kind of impartial, open spaces. Anyone can come to SALT and be looked after and enjoy it." Scott emphasized his connection to the location, noting his longtime fascination with Borough Market and its historical significance.

The project, which began construction in June 2025 and completed in August 2025, had a construction cost of £290,000. The collaborative team included Friendly Pressure for loudspeaker and sound design, Something Studio for structural engineering, SG Shopfitters as the main contractor, and Churchill Electrical Solutions for lighting installation. SALT's first salon is located in Dalston, east London, in a converted 19th-century tramway store, establishing the brand's reputation for transforming historic spaces into cutting-edge hair and music venues.