James Joseph Salon

“truth’s smile when she beholds her own face in a perfect mirror” –Tagore

James Joseph is a salon of national note. The visit to this salon is an immersion into a discipline and culture reflective of its Newbury Street, Boston address. As the clientele, staff and services have grown, so has the idea of broadening its presence and cultural experience to Boylston Street, located directly adjacent to the current salon. The transition is to be through a glass bridge, open to the urban pulse.

The 2nd floor Boylston shop is to have two points of entry. The first is via the glass bridge; but the primary is from its Boylston Street presence. When one enters from the gracious street foyer and stair the street’s dynamics are the first impression; the second is the energy of the salon’s movements itself. The spatial design moves and engages each visitor by the act of alternately opening/compressing the space along a wall that carries less structured activities. A freestanding wall modulates procession, compressing it against the waiting space, focusing it around the main salon stations, releasing it and visually extending it towards the spa and future glass bridge.