We often talk about design in terms of our salons and beauty studios, but what about the places where the foundations of hairdressing are learned? we spoke to donna vann, department head of cosmetology, catawba valley community college to talk about their new cosmetology department, and why collins was their #1, choice for their fun, brightly Colored furniture.

Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) is an accredited comprehensive NC Community College serving Catawba and Alexander counties in Hickory, North Carolina. The Cosmetology department offers various certificates and diplomas under the umbrella of Cosmetology which include Esthetics, Nail Technology and teacher training certification in addition to the Cosmetology diploma.

CVCC's Cosmetology building was finished at the beginning of 2021, and students were able to see the space for the first time after in-person learning returned post-Covid. In the new space, they are able to double class sizes, and have up to 44 cosmetology and 10 nail students in the "salon" at a time.

So, what is different between designing a salon and a school? Donna said: "When you are designing a school, you must think about space and functionality a little more than with a salon. Our state board requires different things for a school as well. There are specific measurements and number requirements for schools that may be different than salons. You need to also think about furniture fitting all the students.

"All our equipment is also chosen with the idea that it will be here a long time. Salons are redecorated generally more often than school. We wanted to choose items that "age" well in the space and with change in times, design and fads."

Donna explained: "Our design was based on having our student salon and school feel modern, comfortable and welcoming. We wanted fun, uplifting touches with a little bit of elegance, as evidenced in the lobby area. We wanted the school to also feel like a real professional salon. The stations for students have enough storage to hold their supplies while having a sleek look with great functionality. Students can easily work beside each other and have plenty of room to do anything they need. Clients love the bright colors and comfort of the chairs.

For their brightly colored and comfortable salon chairs, Collins Furniture was the go-to Conna explained: .We chose Collins because we had seen them multiple times at hair shows and they made it easy to work with them ordering for our school. They were able to customize pieces of furniture to meet our needs. Our shampoo bowls and chairs are backwash stations enabling our students to work in a more ergonomically manner while ensuring the clients are comfortable. The shampoo chairs are great for both tall and short clients and have a mobile footrest for clients to more comfortable."

"The manicure table was a welcome upgrade for our nail tech students as the ventilation is built in. They have plenty of workspace and storage making the manicure services a little more streamlined. The lamps are already in the station and power outlets are built in. We wanted our students to have modern technology and be more efficient in their daily work. This is why we chose the styling stations, permanent nail stations as well as mobile nail stations."

And the student' review? "The students LOVE our new salon. They enjoy that we have much more space than in the old building. The breakroom, being in its own area and more private than what we had before, is also great. We also have natural light available here that we did not before. This is a school they are proud to attend and love to show their families and friends how new and modern the school is."