Softly Lit – Akmē by Biasol
Imagined as a sanctuary to immerse oneself within, Akmē combines gestures of calm and retreat within a light-filled and neutrally encased space. Biasol combines both linear and curved elements within an existing outer shell to craft a unique experience for visitors, echoing a residential setting and sensibility while also being transportive.
With an increasing focus on wellness and the spaces that help and encourage sensory engagement, Akmē emerges as a new offering within Melbourne that deep dives into an escapist experience. As part of the reworking of an existing space, the beauty salon captures the expected elevation of a luxury space with a considered arrangement internally. Using both compression and release throughout the spaces as part of the intended journey from within, an openness is created and celebrated, while areas for treatment then decrease in scale to align with a more intimate setting. Biasol carefully crafts the space from a holistic sense, capturing the identity of what the brand represents through the physical interior design, custom furniture and branding.
With an increasing focus on wellness and the spaces that help and encourage sensory engagement, Akmē emerges as a new offering within Melbourne that deep dives into an escapist experience.
When thinking of self-care and the resulting benefits, the more differing the space from the surrounding urban realm, the better. Within an existing building, Akmē is brought together with that philosophy in mind, to be a place of escape and take clients away from everything that exists on the outside of the entry. Utilising a play on volume and scale, once through the warmly lit entry, the space opens from a traditional single height to an expansive glazed wall that is softly draped in natural linen. Both allowing and encouraging natural light to gently enter the space and wash the walls, the surfaces become illuminated throughout the day, reflecting the happenings outside, while still providing a sense of protection and enclosure from within.
Located in South Yarra, among established landscaped streets and generous homes, the space is intended as a calming haven. A palette of muted tones forms the basis of that staged creation, with texture allowing subtleties in movement with incoming natural light. Built by MIC Projects, the mostly linear shell is articulated through pairing lines with sweeping curves. Most dramatically is the upward curve within the expansive waiting area space. Leading the eye upward to the ceiling, it creates a gentle transition between the lower ceiling and the upper wall.
