Lighting experts will probably tell you the importance of TASK LIGHTING in your salon.
When designing Minardi Salon in NYC, we were fortunate to meet with one of the
most famous lighting experts in the world. This gentleman not only lit many of the
shows on BROADWAY, .. he also lit the exterior of Rockefeller Center and the Clairol
Color Evaluation Salon. He took us to where fur coats are made.. a place where perfect
color matching was requiried. Floors, walls, tables, ceilings.. everything there was WHITE.
And, the lighting was "color perfect". We remembered every bit of this when we designed
our salon work space.
Carmine Minardi was extremely interested in this, and helped design the Minardi Colort
Perfect Lighting System for salons. Of course, LED lighting has replaced full-specturm
High Definition Lighting.. but lighting placement remains almost 100 percent the SAME
An easy take-away here: Your ceilings and walls must be WHITE. Decorators White or
softest off-white is best. NO SUPER WHITE "blue white" please. Colored or black
ceilings and walls will not help you color hair effectively.
Next: No matter your budget: A TASK LIGHT directed down, over each chair will help you
more than you might imagine. A tall, seated client, should have a task light, suspended from
the ceiling, about 6 or 7 feet above the top of their head. Great lights stuck to the ceiling 10-30 feet above the client, mounted on a black or dark ceiling do nothing to help you! And,
lights placed around your mirror, called "face lights" flatter the client, and help you both
see what is happening. If budget matters, as it usually does right now, think about creating
ONE color-perfect chair in your space. So, the big takeaway here is The TASK LIGHT.
I hope this helps. I know a bit on this subject, and see the challenges many salons face
with respect to lighting. if this subject matters to you, I recommend that you consult a
lighting expert in your area, or contact Carmine Minardi at his salon in NYC.
Shine on Brightly! Beth
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