How to Decorate a Salon on a Budget

Cultivating a salon aesthetic that is stylish, functional, and aligns with your vibe and the identity of your brand is crucial to the success of your business. You want the interior design of your beauty salon to be as high-quality and luxurious as the services you provide, but you don’t need to break the bank to achieve your ideal interior design. If you’re on a tight budget, operating in a small salon space, or a combination of the two, our how-to guide will provide you with all the simple low budget beauty salon interior design tips and tricks for decorating your salon boujee while saving money.

Identify Your Brand Identity

Before diving into how to decorate your salon on a budget, you must first define your business’s brand so you can incorporate the décor elements that align with you and your salon’s style and overall vibe.

It’s easy to get swept away when decorating a space, so highlighting your salon’s core values by drafting up a mission statement as well as outlining the interior design style you want to achieve, whether it be natural, rustic, boho, or modern beauty salon interior design, is a great place to start when figuring out the look and feel you want your salon to portray.

Taking a pen to paper and organizing your thoughts before decorating your salon space not only creates an attractive and cohesive aesthetic for your business but also helps avoid frivolous and unnecessary spending on décor by providing you with a set interior design plan.

Check out our Style Guide to find design inspo for every budget

Optimize Your Salon Floorplan Layout

When decorating a small salon space on a budget, planning and laying out your floor plan before shopping for salon equipment and décor is the most important low budget beauty salon interior design tip.

Laying out your salon floor plan in a way that is both stylish as well as functional ensures you are maximizing your space’s total square footage which benefits your business in a variety of areas including identifying the equipment essentials you need to operate a fully functioning salon.

Minerva’s 2D Space Planner is the perfect tool to help you arrange, design, and layout your salon’s floor plan on a budget…and did we mention it’s free? That’s right. Our FREE 2D Design Tool allows you to lay out fully customizable floor plans with Minerva furniture. Simply enter your room's dimensions to get started, add walls, and start placing equipment.

Need inspo to help you get started? Check out some of our ready-made floorplan ideas and layouts for ideas on how to decorate your small salon space while maximizing your square footage with functional feng shui.

Shop Smart

When it comes to low budget beauty salon interior design, knowing which essentials are worth investing in versus where it’s okay to seek more economical options helps you stay in budget and make smart purchases that will save you money in the long run.

If you’ve outlined your brand’s identity and planned the layout of your salon’s floor plan, then you’ve identified the equipment essentials you need as well as the style you want for an aesthetically pleasing and fully operational salon space.

Here are a few key tips to keep in mind while shopping for salon equipment on a budget:

• Invest in the pieces of equipment that receive the highest traffic volume, therefore, receiving the most wear and tear, to avoid spending more money in the long run when having to frequently replace these furnishings. Don’t compromise quality and function when shopping for salon chairs, styling stations, and shampoo systems. Use our salon equipment buying guides to help you narrow down your options and find the best value.
• Finance your salon equipment through one of Minerva’s reliable financing partners. Salon financing allows you to make an upfront investment in your business so you get everything you need to build your empire without taking out high-interest loans or relying on others.
• When decorating a small salon space on a budget, consider versatile equipment that can be used in different areas throughout the salon including all-purpose chairs, mobile styling stations, and salon carts and trolleys.

Mirrors & Lighting

Mirrors and lighting are two budget-friendly décor components that will elevate the look and feel of your salon’s interior design at a very low cost.

Take advantage of the natural (and free) light the sun provides wherever you can in your space. Whether it’s propping open your salon doors on a sunny day or adding lightweight curtains to your windows, allowing sunlight to glow throughout your space is an easy and cost-free way to illuminate and brighten your interior on a budget.

Adding mirrors throughout your salon’s interior is also an affordable way to cultivate a luxurious aesthetic as well as creates an illusion that makes your space look larger. This is a great low-budget beauty salon interior design tip, especially when figuring out how to decorate a small salon space!

DIY & Budget-Friendly Salon Décor

Adding budget-friendly, decorative items throughout your salon is an easy way to tie together your salon’s aesthetic without overspending!

Once you’ve invested in your salon equipment essentials, you can enjoy shopping for attractive, value-priced decorative touches to add personality to your space.

A few budget-friendly décor items to incorporate into your salon’s interior design include:

• Cute potted and/or wall-hanging plants
• Printable wall art
• Open shelving decorated with stylish trinkets and/or retail products

• Vintage finds from thrift stores
• Decorative throw pillows
• Plush rugs
• DIY statement/accent walls

Check out 2024 salon interior design trends for even more inspiration - there are endless creative ways to incorporate trending colors, shapes and textures without blowing your budget! And don't forget to explore our salon equipment clearance section - it's a great place to snag limited-time deals on premium salon furniture and supplies.