Unknown Works unveils a new sonic experience for SALT Salon, Borough, inspired by club culture.

Distinctive hairstyles are synonymous with club culture. And so the pairing of music and cutting hair seems most appropriate.

With this firmly in mind, SALT Salon’s new premises sees the transformation of a Victorian storehouse in London's Borough Market into a highly crafted listening environment / hairdressing salon.

Designed by architecture studio Unknown Works, the project creates a new, experience-led second home on Stoney Street for the fast-growing hair brand SALT.

SALT Salon Borough is said to be both a "state-of-the-art salon and a vibrant cultural space". Taking over three levels of the listed brick building, each space has a distinct hairdressing function, spatial and acoustic identity. A sound system embedded into the bespoke interior is programmable to support unique sonic salon environments – ambient mornings, textured afternoons and immersive evening sessions. A Listening Room on the first floor doubles as a venue for performances, talks and deep listening, allowing the space to transition with ease from service to event mode.

Here, a row of cutting stations and a reception area (that becomes a bar at night for events) frame a central gathering space that is defined by a pair of large-scale, galvanised steel loudspeakers incrementally formed using roboforming – a pioneering low-energy digital fabrication technology.

The bespoke joinery and specialist metal roboforming for this particular project was designed and developed by Unknown Works and fabricated using salvaged metal and shelves from Blythe House; the storage facility previously used by the V&A, Science Museum and British Museum.

Unknown Works had already used 225 of these same shelves to construct the Science Museum's 800sqm Energy Revolution Gallery, which opened in early 2024. The speakers were developed in collaboration with Friendly Pressure, a high-fidelity start-up led by Shivas Howard Brown, whose designs focus on elements of UK soundsystem culture, and the joy and togetherness of sonic experience.

The second floor houses an open-plan 'Cutting Floor' – a cutting station that utilises a continuous mirror formed from stainless steel sheet, finished in a gradation from buffed and mottled for privacy to mirror-polished for fine reflection and fidelity.

Suspended above, stainless steel Friendly Pressure Pickney loudspeakers anchor the room visually and sonically. The rear of the floor accommodates a staff room, kitchen and social space, screened acoustically from the main salon with silicone screens.

The 'Colour Floor' on the top level features a suspended, half-tonne sculptural mirror workstation hung from the original timber rafters. Crafted from ultra-bright stainless steel, it acts as both a reflective surface and a diffuser. Over time, this floor is intended to stain from dye use, recording the creative process in material patina. Mirrors throughout are polished to reflect but also refract, softening visual boundaries between guests.

"This listed Victorian storehouse has been boldly reimagined as a space where sound operates as both material and medium. Every element, from the bespoke loudspeakers to the acoustic furniture, has been precisely tuned to create an entirely new salon experience. It's a fundamental rethinking of what these spaces can be." - Ben Hayes, Director, Unknown Works

Sound is embedded in every detail. Bespoke modular chairs made from recycled foam are not only extremely comfortable but absorb low-frequency sound. Floor-to-ceiling suspended silicone panels dampen reflections and optimise clarity. The architecture supports acoustic nuance, shaping the room as an instrument in itself. Bespoke bio-resin lights, imprints of the formed metal panels, have also been created for the space by Unknown Works.

SALT Salon’s first space offers a contemporary salon experience in a former 19th Century tramway store in Dalston. This larger second salon takes the same approach: an ultra-contemporary environment set within a historic casing.

SALT Salon Borough builds on the progressive ethos of its Dalston founder – hair stylist and former electronic music producer, John Paul Scott - reimagining the salon as a place of care, creativity and sonic awareness. The new space explores how high-fidelity sound, spatial acoustics and sculptural architecture can enhance daily rituals and social interaction.

“The brief for SALT Salon Borough was bring all the things we already do - hair, sound, music, drinks - and elevate it to a completely new level. We were ambitious with it, and Unknown Works ran with that. I wanted to do something that would almost shock people - but which put SALT Salon on the map. Unknown Works played a huge part in achieving that with their forward-thinking design. They have been amazing and it’s been a great collaboration.” - John Paul Scott, Founder, SALT Salon