Mành Mành Salon

A run-down hair salon in a dense neighbourhood was renovated by reusing what was at hand: doors, glass, tables and chairs, bricks and low-grade timber. The Vietnamese design team took its cue from street barbers who work under big shade trees beside old brick walls.

The space suggests long hair and a pergola of a popular climbing vine whose hanging roots curtain the space below. About 200,000 wooden beads, 2.7 cm across, were made from low-grade timber in natural tones and the colour of ripe vine fruit, then strung in strands of around 11 beads.

The strings form a zigzag ceiling and bead curtains between seats. Soft light, the rustle of beads, the scent of leaves and wood, a cup of tea and the hairdresser’s skill engage all five senses.