BGC’s beloved hair studio and salon, KOOP, has finally come to The Podium, ready to whip up magic on people’s heads.
KOOP studio has finally branched out, settling its new roots in the upscale Ortigas mall The Podium–4 years after their first store, and after jumping through the pandemic pause, which hindered their operations for some time. As the world is now slowly relaxing, KOOP is also now ready to serve new and returning clients in their stylishly luxurious new space, which they unveiled to the media last November 18, 2023.
The event was kickstarted by founder Michael Needham, who gave a brief introduction to their new space and how they handled the design. Refined in its beige and soft cream-white aesthetic, the studio has large windows overlooking the city streets and has an open-floor plan that creates the illusion of a large area, which gives a relaxing vibe within the studio no matter how densely packed it could get.
According to co-founder and business partner Brice Boidin, they’ve implemented these design details to create and cultivate a relaxing, intimate, and private space for every customer and stylist in the studio. Similar to its first branch in Bonifacio Global City, they made the space neutral but comfortable, but instead of the former industrial theme, they opted to color the area with hues of cream and white. They also went with the softer browns of lightly varnished wooden dividers and softer grey marble, thereby keeping it simple, organized and efficient.
Their London store, which opened during the period that Brice and Michael had to return to England due to the pandemic, has a different aesthetic, calling to England’s native soil and clay’s ‘really light, pastel, earthy, pink’ colors as their inspiration for the space.
KOOP’s latest design thrust is all to enhance their neutral-colored space, not only to make their customers feel relaxed but also to keep them and the stylists from getting distracted and overshadowed by the colors. As Bodin explained, bold colors in a space may mess up the colors being applied to the hair of the client, change the lighting, and obscure the natural tone of the client’s hair along with the hair dyes.
Every piece was bespoke by their designer, who also designed the original BGC studio, and made with love by local craftsmen and artisans. From the dividers to the furniture, the cabinets holding their products and tools, to the vases littering the counters, every piece was created by Filipinos for Filipinos.
Along with their appreciation for local creativity and ingenuity through design, they also aim to collaborate more with local products and artisans to expand their repertoire of products used by their stylists and clientele. They’ve already made connections with local brands like Rafikimono, which designs custom kimonos, robes, and scrunchies for KOOP.
They are now welcoming guests with their hair services and expertise from their stylists led by their Master stylist Girllie Dolfo and specialty products for all your hair care and maintenance needs.
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