A street-front salon has a problem the industry too often ignores: the fishbowl. Full-height glass is what makes a shop feel open and inviting, and it's also what turns every client in a pedicure chair into a window display for passing traffic. Nobody fully relaxes while being watched…

For Glamour Nail Salon, working alongside Emma Brown Design, the answer was to treat the whole glass frontage like one soft veil. Floor-to-ceiling sheers sweep the windows in a continuous line, curving with the frontage rather than breaking at each pane. From the inside, clients get privacy with the light left on: the street becomes a soft blur, the room fills with a bright, even glow, and the plaster walls and terrazzo floors of Emma's design do their thing without glare or an audience. From the footpath, the salon reads like a lantern, softly lit and a little bit mysterious, which is better advertising than a clear view of someone's foot spa ever was.