The art of minimalism lies in its focus and attention to care. Equip, a hair salon in the city of Osaka might have mastered this art through a personalised experience.

Designed by Sides Core, a Japanese design studio, the salon stands still in a quiet street. When one enters, the space is divided into three with a continuous flow — the waiting space opening up to the public street, followed by the cutting space and a washing space behind the wooden oak frames. However, there is a unique aspect to this seamlessness: there’s only one seat for the customer. While the designer compared this to a therapeutic session of mountain climbing, I personally see it more as a spacious dialogue between the artist and his art. Without distractions, the intricacy of details are highly regarded from the interaction of two people; that sole factor can contribute to satisfaction from both sides. In this minimalistic environment, the grey concrete and warm wooden attributes bring parts and pieces into one zen bubble.

Not only is Equip bright and inviting with its simple interior, its philosophy is something that I have not seen in this type of building program. Poetically executed, Sides Core really took their original concept to a new level.

Photography courtesy of Yoshiko Masuda.