HIGH BROW

Studio Roslyn brings permanent style to a Los Angeles cosmetic tattoo parlour.

By Alyssa Hirose / Photos by Hunter Kerhart

L.A.’s Studio Sashiko welcomes guests in with warm woods, deep hues of blue and cream and elements of Japanese minimalism—but patrons of the space will spend most of their visit staring at the ceiling. This cosmetic tattoo parlour specializes in microblading, scar camouflage and other kinds of restorative and decorative tattooing. So when it came to design, the team at Vancouver-based Studio Roslyn started by looking up.

Storage Wars

Space-saving laminate and stainless steel drawers provide clean-lined storage for practitioners, and custom-printed wallpaper sports the Studio Sashiko logo.

According to Jessica MacDonald, coprincipal of Studio Roslyn, the original space was tall, concrete and cavernous. “We really wanted to bring the ceiling plane down,” she explains. A metal grid and soft, oversized globe lights help create a cozier vibe, but the real focus is the massive, cloud-like art installation. L.A. floral design company Birch and Bone used dried blue baby’s breath and other whimsical florals to construct the clouds, which were then installed carefully on-site. “It was a tricky process to do,” MacDonald remembers.

And it was totally worth it. The designers aimed to infuse as much nature as possible into Studio Sashiko, and explored different planes of earth, sea and sky. Stained green concrete and artfully placed boulder formations give the floor an organic vibe, and cabinets of wood and stainless steel provide sleek, functional storage for the artists. “It feels a little bit set-like,” says MacDonald, “which is interesting in the Los Angeles context.” Like they say: lights, camera, eyebrows.

With pops of yellow and peach, plus natural stone, travertine and grey marble, the design is clean but comforting. “There is a serene quality to the space, but in an unexpected way,” says MacDonald. “It doesn’t feel like the classic spa aesthetic—there are some punchy colours in there, but it still has a very calming feeling.”