Beautifully Bright

Entering Polished in Salem, Ore., instantly uplifts clients’ spirits. The salon’s design theme is “bright colors and animal prints,” says co-owner Kristen Dutcher. A multitude of coordinating bright colors adorn the walls, including, in one case, solid blue below the chair rail, a pink chair rail, and green above with fun circle outlines. For the circles, Dutcher explains, “My business partner Jennifer Lockwood and I took three different sizes of terra cotta pots and dipped them in paint, wiping off the excess, then placed them on the wall in random order with our coordinating paint colors!” The salon is also able to regularly change out its wall art, due to coordinating with local artists to display their work. “We decorate with local artists’ work. We rotate different artists through different themes, like ‘watercolors’ or ‘photography.’  It gives us different looks at no cost to us and the artists end up selling their pieces, so it’s a win-win for everyone,” Dutcher says.