Laughing Buddha Tattoo & Body Piercing

In spite of its glass frontage, the interior is not light-filled, so the plants were selected carefully to tolerate lower light conditions. All the plants are real, with the lone exception of the “wheatgrass” at the front desk, which is artificial, not least because visitors can’t help but pet it.

In the center of the store, we created a small oasis that acts as a comfortable, social space — a “tattoo lounge” concept – that balances the needs of privacy and publicity so that everyone can have the experience they want when they consult about their body art. At the edges, the space is framed with locked cabinets displaying the most unique body jewelry: wall-mounted on the color-blocked wall, and inside a custom, free-standing jewelry chest. The space is also used as an active art gallery, and regularly participates in the Art Walk.

One of the bigger challenges of the design, was that tattoo art is a quasi-medical procedure, and keeping the space clean and wipeable is a requirement for operation. Fabrics were not an option, which is a challenge for a lounge. Instead, leather seating was the rule, and in place of an area rug, we utilized white hex tile to create a “tile rug” of sorts, which breaks up the scale of the space and creates an anchor for the lounge.