Commanding Execution – Stravinskij Salon by Seear-Budd Ross

A serene retreat beyond the bustling streetscape of Wellington Central, Stravinskij Salon by Seear-Budd Ross exists as an evocative den of tactility and tone. Anchored by a rich lineage, Stravinskij marks a new stitch in the Harach family’s history. The salon emerges current yet ageless, echoing the evolution of the owners’ enduring presence within Wellington’s hair and beauty community.

Commanding in its execution by Seear-Budd Ross, Stravinskij’s selection of textures, perfect geometry and emphatic palette offers salon patrons a breath-taking experience. Immediately greeted by a mindful balance of tones in the most precise measure, the real-life greyscale effect leaves one wondering if a filter was thrown over the entire setting.

The salon emerges current yet ageless, echoing the evolution of the owners’ enduring presence within Wellington’s hair and beauty community.

Leaning into the optical provocation, the intentional staging of monochrome is revealed as a timeless transportation to eras past and is gleefully punctuated by lashings of deep green velvet drapery. Antique-style barber chairs dot the grid-tile floor, their robust leather seats referencing the heyday of heritage beauty parlours.

Most impressive in Stravinskij’s collision of classic and contemporary is the stark use of hard materials that is cleverly spared from feeling sterile thanks to mindful use of scale and surfaces. Taking cues from New Zealand’s iconic natural landscapes and materiality, a textured low-slung ceiling draws the space cosily inward while bluestone pavers line the floors and form foundational plinths. Stainless steel is diffused by hushed lighting to soften the cavern-like salon, welcoming clientele to melt into relaxation.

Antique-style barber chairs dot the grid-tile floor, their robust leather seats referencing the heyday of heritage beauty parlours.

Lucidity and pared-back design afford a quiet clarity to the hair salon, effortlessly abating the trade’s tendency to feel cluttered by a slew of scissors, blades and brushes. A place of new beginnings, Stravinskij Salon sees each trim and snip impart a renewed sense of self-expression, while embodying a fresh and assured aesthetic. An achievement of functionality and style, it is clear Stravinskij’s interior has been manicured as carefully as the clients it services.