Whittemore House Salon

June 7, 2011 Jennifer Levy

As someone who is pretty frugal when it comes to things like haircuts and manicures, it took a Mother's Day gift certificate to get me to Whittemore House, a fantastic little hair salon in the West Village. Of course, it was the interiors that put my immediate trust in the place...the design combines original detail with newer surfaces that have layers of patina and pattern. It manages to have modern wall tile coexist with vintage wallpaper and chairs exposing their construction. Overall the impression is a statement on decay, renewal, and exposing the innards of architecture. Sold. I also have to say that I got my best cut and color ever from Angela Soto (cut) and Charlie Regec (amazing color, she paints it on -- got many complements). The cut and color looked great for a very long time, so even if it is a once or twice a year treat, I feel it's well worth it. The building itself has a colorful past: Built in the 1830's, the former boarding house had infamous tenants like Lincoln assasin John Wilkes Booth and was a stop on the underground railroad.

The entry has a taste of what's to come: chairs which appear to be in the process of being redone, the layered wall treatment, original detailing, and exposed beams.

The cutting stations have this beautiful wall treatment which appears to be stenciled with metallics, washed and dripped over with thinned paints. It also could be a wash over wallpaper -- in any case puzzling over it kept me busy while waiting for my color to take.

In contrast, the washing area has a feature wall of modern relief tile. In the distance a great focal point (on the Central Axis of Vision, aka CAV)

I always make a point of visiting the bathroom in a design savvy space: this one has more of the drip treatment on the walls (a questionable choice in a bathroom -- what dripped?), a beaded mirror echoed by the sexy leather wainscott with a nailhead detail.