Royal purple surfaces meet coloured concrete basins inside this nail studio in New York’s Upper East side, designed by Fran Hickman. The guys at Paintbox — who strongly encourage us to treat our nails as a powerful accessory — already have a downtown flagship in Soho, and dedicate each of their spaces to high-design nail art.
For its second outpost, the new uptown Paintbox eschews the over-feminised decor of most nail salons of its kind, opting instead for a highly tailored approach with an unexpected palette of colours.
Reflecting Paintbox’s enthusiasm for nail colour combinations, the design draws inspiration from Josef Albers, the visionary German-American artist known for geometric expressionism. Many of the themes that Albers picks up in his revolutionary work Interaction of Color, in particular, the tension colours have on their surroundings — are reflected in the design of the space.
Spread across two floors, a purple hue runs throughout the store, seen in the acrylic tiered shelving holding the Power Couples (a curated line of polish pairings based on colour theory) to the rounded wool benches. Moving through the palette, mild pinks are found on the textured walls and dainty perforated window curtains; a sofa is upholstered in yellow boucle while a Calcatta marble nail bar is fitted with iridescent barstools.
The colours were so rousing to creative director Mabelyn Martin, that she decided to design a series of new nail art to reflect the interiors unique elements. The collection pairs together the complementary shades seen in Hickman’s interiors.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
20 East 69th Street
New York
NY 10021
-
The best of refillable beauty design, edited by Wallpaper*Wallpaper’s pick of the best refillable beauty design includes make-up, skincare, fragrance and haircare with beautifully formed bottles, tubes and containers from the likes of Dries Van Noten, Davines and more
-
Wear Shihara’s minimalist strands of pearls and gold clasps however you see fitShihara gives a lesson in minimalist pearl jewellery with new collection ‘Node’
-
Alice Adams, Louise Bourgeois, and Eva Hesse delve into art’s ‘uckiness’ at The CourtauldNew exhibition ‘Abstract Erotic’ (until 14 September 2025) sees artists experiment with the grotesque
-
The owner of this restored Spanish Colonial home turned it into a gallery – with no social media allowedCasa Francis in LA is a private residence, but recently opened its doors to one member of the public at a time for an exhibition centred around domesticity
-
Why are so many rooms covered in curtains?Comfort, privacy, and performance are all contained in the rooms swaddled in plush draperies
-
This Manhattan apartment and studio is a shrine to artThis New York artist's home is both comfortable and flexible, acting as a studio and a showcase for his work and collected pieces. We take a tour for our interiors series, The Inside Story
-
Life’s a beach at this tropical-glam Miami developmentFive Park Miami Beach mixes streamlined glamour with vibrant colour, and is the focus of Wallpaper’s interiors series, The Inside Story, as the Floridian city holds its annual Grand Prix
-
A Frank Lloyd Wright lamp broke auction record at Sotheby’s – fetching $7.5 millionThe architect's ‘Double-Pedestal’ lamp, which was designed for the Dana House in 1903, has become his most valuable work ever offered at auction
-
Step inside this Upper East Side jewel box apartmentThis radiant Lexington Avenue home is a harbinger of good things for the Upper East Side, and the latest focus of The Inside Story, our series spotlighting intriguing and innovative interior design
-
This Colorado ski chalet combines Rocky Mountains warmth with European design nousWood and stone meet artisanal and antique pieces in this high-spec, high-design mountain retreat
-
Swiss utilitarianism meets West Africa in this Armando Cabral and USM furniture collaborationA centuries-old West African motif signifying movement, adaptability, and progress served as the starting point for this collaboration between New York-based designer Armando Cabral and Swiss furniture brand USM
