At-home hairdresser Lisa built a beautiful salon in her South Golden Beach backyard, creating a wonderful environment in which to work and for her clients to be pampered.

Then she decided to move.

But what about her hair salon? Well, that’s absolutely going with her!

“My cabana is a great addition – a safe and peaceful space to work from home. My clients love it too!”

A hairdresser’s home salon dream

Working from home is the hairdresser’s dream. No salon rent. No commute. Complete control over the environment and ambience, with your own hours and your own rules.

Many make the move from salon to home business, but this usually involves converting the garage or sacrificing a room in the house; the loss of valuable living space as the compromise.

Lisa’s beautifully renovated beach house property in NSW’s Northern Rivers was the perfect setting to create a genuinely enjoyable experience for her clients. And by positioning a Melwood within its lush, tropical gardens, Lisa made sure that a haircut wasn’t just a haircut. It was a memorable moment in a beautiful environment.

Word of mouth: The best recommendation

A trusted recommendation led Lisa to her Melwood.

“My friend down in Sydney got one for teaching and then another as a holiday house,” she says. “She was telling me how good they were.”

When Lisa went to see for herself, she couldn’t help but agree, and within weeks, a beautiful Mod 15 was being installed in her garden.

It was the perfect design for an at-home hair salon, with its signature highlight windows flooding the interior with natural light. Contributing to this was Lisa’s selection of doors and windows – two sets of timber-framed full-glass double doors occupy one corner of the building, while a single is positioned opposite. A full-length double-hung window at the front and a sliding window at the rear assist with cross-ventilation.

With the right lighting, fresh air and ventilation, the conditions couldn’t have been better for cutting and dyeing hair.

Loved by all

With those practicalities ticked off, it was time to create the all-important atmosphere.

When welcoming clients, first impressions count. Lisa’s salon sets the tone upon arrival – sleek and modern, with board and batten cladding painted black to merge seamlessly with the windows, while adding contrast to the stained timber doors.

Inside is bright and light, with beautifully lined walls and ceiling painted white. Black fixtures and furniture mirror the monochromatic palette, while the timber flooring connects the industrial elements and adds a soft touch of earthiness.

With such a well-considered finish, from first glance to final impression, it’s the kind of space that clients look forward to returning to.

But it wasn’t just them that loved the Melwood. Lisa’s friends and family were also big fans.

“They say it’s unreal, it’s beautiful,” she tells us.

And as for Lisa herself, it’s become a home away from home… even if it’s work!

“I prefer to be in there than in my house, to be honest,” she says. When you’d rather be hanging out at work, you know you’ve got something right!

A family and salon on the move

But then Lisa decided to move, and although the house went on the market, the Melwood stayed firmly off!

“The house isn’t being sold with the Melwood — it’s coming with me!” she says. “I’ll use it for the same purpose”.

While they are designed for fixed installation on site, Melwoods are still very portable. Because they’re constructed from prefabricated modular panels, they can be disassembled, transported and reassembled at a new location with ease. Alternatively, their engineered design allows them to be craned out as a complete structure – they’re that sturdy and robust.

So the salon is moving too. And if her husband gets his way, a second Melwood might not be far behind.

“My husband’s got his eye on it too, thinking it will be his music room,” she laughs. But of course, it will continue to serve as a stylish salon at her new address.

“I think we may need to get another one. A he-shed and a she-shed!”

We think that sounds like a very good plan.

Lisa’s at-home hair salon is a Melwood Mod 15 measuring 2.6m x 5.4m with a 5.4m x 0.5m deck.

It features board and batten cladding, black aluminium windows, full-length timber glass double doors to the front and side, and a single full-length timber glass door at the opposite corner. Colorbond® roofing is in “Woodland Grey”.

All measurements are approximate.

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