-By Michael Webb , Photography by Yang Di

Horatio Alger would be considered a slouch in the new China, where business empires grow from nothing in a few years. Eric Constantino, a third-generation French hair stylist has opened 30 salons in five cities and plans many more, thanks to the corporate expertise of his American wife, Katy Sinnott. To cap this success, their flagship Eric Paris Salon flanked by Beijing's tallest tower and the Shangri La Hotel—needed more space and a look that Sinnott calls "urban, sexy, and edgy." They found those qualities in a feature on Graft's sleek Q Hotel in Berlin, and they hired the Beijing office of that German-American architectural design firm.

For Graft partner Gregor Hoheisel, the challenge was to maximize space on three levels to link them in a creative way and put a fresh spin on Constantino's signature vocabulary of mirrors, maroon color, and padded white leather. Each floor was to have a distinct role: reception and retail on the first, beauty and pedicures on the second, and hair services on the third. Graft is known for creating dynamic sculptures that guide visitors through interior spaces, and Hoheisel wanted to push this concept to another level. The polished stainless balustrade of his spiraling "dyna-morphic staircase" rises to the height of the mezzanine to conceal a treatment room, and the two sides join to form an arch as one emerges on the top floor.

For the customer, the experience is exhilarating. The curved metal planes distort reflections and transport everyone into a world of make-believe. A central reception counter wraps around raised manicure stations, putting the guests on stage, and the walls incorporate backlit display shelves for products as well as a screen for projected images. On the second level, the pedicure stations are also treated as display galleries, while the beauty rooms, with their custom-designed massage tables and white leather walls, are concealed. The theatricality of the salon culminates on the top floor, where customers have their hair cut and colored while chatting around the perimeter of a Corian table. Two-sided mirrors create an infinity of reflections and can be retracted into the ceiling to allow the table to be used as a gathering place for staff meetings or a cocktail party. A long cutting counter has exterior views, and a revolving glass panel encloses a VIP room.

"The concept developed in one fun design session," recalls Hoheisel. "Then came the difficult task of documenting the geometry and translating it from paper to reality." The staircase, which plays the role of a vertical catwalk, seems to float free, but every detail had to be carefully calculated and meticulously executed to achieve the illusion of a seamless sweep of metal. The plan of each floor was shaped by a desire to balance utility and drama, but the designers were constrained by a restrictive fire code. There were budgetary limits, too, even though labor and most materials are much less costly in China than they are in the West. Graft overcame the obstacles, and the new Eric Paris Salon has won plaudits and increased business.