designHouse Salon

Julie is an amazing stylist who really knows her stuff, is so personable to chat with and goes above and beyond every time. I recently had a colour service not turn out the way I wanted it to and she fixed it perfectly and was really receptive to what I had in mind! The salon is super clean, smells amazing and is beautiful. I would highly recommend dH!

Incredibly disappointed and frustrated with my most recent experience with this salon. Having previously been here for an amazing curly cut, I was so excited to find them again after sustaining a brain injury and being unable to remember which salon did what they did. While I was so excited to find them again I booked an appointment with them through email, they had given me the day and time and I said yes to it, so excited to come back after so long. After making my way there from Nanaimo I found out that they had not booked me the appointment in their schedule. The woman I spoke to on the phone said that it was her fault but only offered a simple apology and to rebook me with a junior stylist in December or that I would have to take ANOTHER day off of work and spend the money it takes to travel down island. Over all, really saddened by the experience and now won't likely won't be risking the time and money involved to come to this salon as their cuts aren't worth THAT much of a loss on my side

I had an appointment at this salon a few weeks ago. I was scheduled to get highlights on my naturally brownish, black curly hair. The cuts have been good, but nothing else was up to the level I thought it would be considering that it was a salon that specializes in curly hair. I also requested a stylist with curly hair experience. The stylist I was assigned gave me two options after I asked her about the damages the bleaching process would have on my hair; 1 was to go through with the highlights with bleach and 2 was to use a "tint". (I talked to my new stylist about this and no one uses the term tint anymore) I ended up going through with the tint after she left me the impression that it would lighten my hair a bit to give it a honey hue without damaging it. I was very disappointed when I later found out from my new stylist that it was just a moisturizing mask that would have barely any effects on the colour of your hair as she was trying to sell it. After leaving the mask in she washed it out and the proceeded to cut my hair past the level I requested, and "style" it which was interesting because she made it into a giant puff ball with all of my curls brushed out. Note my hair is about 3a hair since I am mixed and by the end my hair was 4b. It was terrible my ride didn't even recognize me. It seemed that she was rushing and didn't take the time to properly style my hair or she didn't know how. I was very disappointed because this ended up costing $200 when it had no effects on my hair and ended up making it even darker, which was the opposite of what I wanted. I am now happy since I have been able to get my highlights with a different method, WITHOUT using bleach, from another salon. I would definitely recommend this salon if you want a good cut, but if you are looking to get your curly hair dyed I would not.

I have been with designHouse Salon since it first opened and I will likely never change salons ever again. Chantal (the owner) has brought her vision to a reality and created a beautiful space with knowledgeable hair-artists who are continually being educated on a consistent basis. The salon focuses strongly on sustainability and is environmentally aware every step of the way and offers a wide variety of quality product at affordable prices. designHouse Salon is an impeccably clean and trendy space with an inviting ambiance. There is usually great music playing in the background while you drink your complimentary coffee/tea. They also give out little dishes of popcorn, which I think is just a really great touch! My hairdresser Julie is really great. She always has a variety of ideas if I'm looking for a change. If I have an issue such as dry hair, she always has the right solution to offer me and I have yet to be disappointed with her suggestions. She is also really great to chit chat with while I'm there. And of course the best part, Julie gives a wicked scalp massage at the shampoo station.

Jess Munro is a bright light of passion, authenticity and talent rolled into a professional hairstylist at designHouse. I highly recommend the salon for anyone looking to be treated like gold, and leave feeling like a million bucks.

My appointment was 40 minutes late. I waited in the poorly designed waiting area and felt like I was completely unacknowledged. I was told that the person before me was late and therefor pushed the schedule back. This is understandable but no one called me to let me know before hand. The worst feeling was that I felt rushed during the appointment. I noticed that when I was leaving the girl that was after me got a lot more apologizes and got a better welcome. I felt like the salon had an issue with me. I did not feel very welcomed and left feeling uncomfortable!

Laura is, by far, the best curly hair stylist I have ever visited! She takes the time to really understand what I am looking for, offers helpful styling and maintenance advice, and is super fun and friendly. My curls and I are always happy after a visit to Laura and we highly recommend her to other curls out there!

I had to switch hairdressers after 30 years. I have long curly hair. Julie gave me a cut that was the best ever. She was knowledgeable on curly hair, diplomatically informative and clearly had skills. It is a relief to have someone I trust again. I would recommend her strongly for proper care of long curly hair.