It might have been the only time Milan’s well-heeled design circle has witnessed a flock of men so eager for a (painted!) manicure, but such was the finger frenzy evoked by the debut of our ‘Nail me!’ bar at this year’s Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition.
But if you didn’t make it to the Salone del Mobile, we’re offering the chance to indulge in the ultimate nail at skincare and fragrance brand Haeckels (opens in new tab)' pop-up store at the Ace Hotel (opens in new tab) in Shoreditch, where our marble nail salon has found a fleeting home during the London Design Festival.
One year in the making, the project stems from a conversation with artist Lexi Shu and designer Sacha Leong. The idea was to make a nail-salon counter inspired by a bar, tapering it back to the essentials and introducing bold new materials and aesthetics to the beauty salon desk.
To wit, we tasked Swedish architect Andreas Bozarth Fornell (opens in new tab) to bring the concept to life, developing a monolithic bar in duke white marble, complete with a set of traditional stools, all carved by marble manufacturer Testi (opens in new tab).
The more the merrier at this grooming fest, so we enlisted the help of a few friends. Our latest nail menu dishes up creations by Philippe Malouin (a striking terrazzo print) and Fabien Cappello (a stylised two-tone woodgrain composition), delivered by nail technicians Dry By London (opens in new tab) and polish from Nails Inc (opens in new tab). An ombré combination of Wallpaper* Blue - our very own signature shade developed with paper experts James Cropper (opens in new tab) - and a bottle green hue inspired by Margate-based Haeckels' links to the sea, is also in the mix. Now that’s what we call lending a helping hand.
Our latest nail menu dishes up creations by Philippe Malouin (a terrazzo-print nail) and Fabien Cappello (a stylised two-tone woodgrain composition), delivered by Dry By London and polish from Nails Inc. An ombré combination of Wallpaper* Blue - our very own signature shade developed with paper experts James Cropper - and a bottle green hue inspired by Margate-based Haeckels' links to the sea, is also in the mix
Making its debut at this year's Salone del Mobile in Milan, our 'Nail me!' bar was designed by Swedish architect Andreas Bozarth Fornell, who developed a monolithic bar in duke white marble, complete with a set of traditional stools, all carved by marble manufacturer Testi. Photography: Leandro Farina
INFORMATION
The Wallpaper* Handmade Nail Bar runs until 23 September and is open 2-6pm
ADDRESS
Ace Hotel
Haeckels store
100 Shoreditch High Street
London E1 6JQ
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