Design Crush: A Too-Pretty Sugaring Studio in Calgary

Designer Alykhan Velji gives Sucré Body Sugaring a makeover of its own.

When Sucré Body Sugaring Boutique took over a former photography studio for its second location in Calgary’s McKenzie Towne, it was clear that a lot was going to have to change: the black ceiling, for one, didn’t really set the right tone for clean and clinical aesthetic treatments.

But when the owner approached designer Alykhan Velji about a renovation, she was looking for more than just a scrub-down: she wanted to create a space that was glamorous and luxurious, too. “The client felt the space needed to feel feminine but still have a modern look,” says Velji.

Having a slightly residential vibe was key as well, for a business tasked with performing some intimate procedures. “We wanted the space not to feel like a commercial space, but something inviting and glamorous,” Velji says. “We have really thought of every detail to ensure that this space doesn’t feel like a commercial aesthetics bar.”

Velji and his team started from a colour palette of pinks, lilacs and peaches for the 820-square-foot space and built from there. Herringbone flooring and white moulding bring in a layer of more traditional elegance—though the space isn’t without its modern touches. “The black-and-white composite surface material used for the custom-designed desk helps ground the space and add that modern edge,” Velji notes of the striking Eternal Marquina quartz piece that anchors the reception area.

In the same room, a showstopping Kelly Wearstler fixture sets the tone for the hits of glamour peppered throughout the salon: flush-mount gold fixtures from Wayfair in the treatment rooms, metallic CB2 wall sconces, geometric gold handles mounted on white cabinets.

Each treatment room features its own unique wallpaper from Prime Walls or Crown Wallpaper and Fabric—geometric or floral prints in a similar pastel colour palette—and even the bathroom gets its own special wall treatment, too, with soft lilac porcelain subway tiles from Ames Tile and a wallpaper grid of pink swoops and swirls.

All in all, with these little touches and elegant finishes, Velji has turned a simple black-box studio into something sweet.