SALON IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Nails By Fleur, Chichester

After taking a career break that saw her travel through Thailand and Vietnam, Fleur Burley found inspiration to strike out on her own and open her home-based salon.

After spending the end of last year decorating and prepping the salon, Fleur opened the door to clients this month. Offering a hand and foot focused menu, Nails By Fleur offers gel polish treatmetns as well as acrylic services.

With its clean yet cosy décor, Fleur drew inspiration from the popular ‘Hygge’ concept. “Originating in Denmark and Norway, the concept is focused around the idea of creating a warm and friendly atmosphere that promotes well being,” Fleur enthuses. “With Hygge in mind, I wanted the salon to influence clients positively, making them feel at ease as soon as they walk through the door.

“I wanted my salon to be calm and feel clean however I did not want it to feel too clinical. For this reason, I chose a large and comfortable wingback armchair with a throw and soft cushions to add lots of warmth and texture.

“I chose large but functional pieces of furniture as I did not want a cluttered or messy look for my room – I feel my large glossy desk and sleek minimalist lamp makes the salon feel more luxurious and high quality.

“To offset the white walls and minimalist furniture I wanted to add some more natural textures; for this reason I chose wooden floors and have three miniature cacti along my side table.”

Aware that her salon was based at home, Fleur didn’t want this to result in a slip in professionality. “I put a lot of effort into making the room feel expensive and high end,” she explains. “I did not want clients to think I would skimp on anything just because I’m working from home and not a high-street location.”

Despite its minimal appearance, the salon still boasts personality and treasures collected from Fleur’s travels. “While in northern Thailand I bought a tortoise sculpture made from marble, a minimalist water colour palm leaf and an intricate drawing of Buddha which are displayed on my side table – I feel these also contribute to the natural and serene feeling of my salon.”

With a clear focus on her interior, Fleur has also found this has inspired her nail designs. “My personal style of creating nails is very neat and I only do simple nail art,” Fleur explains. “I think that the clean and functional interior echoes this. Being able to work in a functional and super organised environment also helps me to be able to create fresh and elegant nails.

“I want to change the way the nail industry is viewed – starting with my own salon,” she adds. “My aim is for clients to know that hygiene is one of my top priorities; from sanitising my files and buffers after each use to making sure my pedicure bowl is spotless and completely disinfected after each service. I also wanted to create an environment where clients feel they are getting a personal service every time without feeling like they are rushed to be in and out of the salon as quickly as possible.”

Currently thriving in the beautifully decorated salon, Fleur is also thinking of the bigger picture and future plans. “Although the salon is the first expansion of my business venture, I do have long term plans to one day have a number of specialist nail salons around the country dedicated to high quality nails with impeccable standards of hygiene.

Check out Nails By Fleur by clicking here