The future's bright.(Decleor and Carita Training Academy)

The new Decleor and Carita Training Academy in london's Westbourne Grove offers state-of-the-art facilities incorporating theory and practice under one roof. Sasha Lill reports

Just a few minutes from London's trendy Notting Hill, in up-and-coming Westbourne Grove, the new Decleor and Carita Training Academy offers state-of-the-art facilities and is spacious enough to train nearly 50 people a week.

Explaining the mammoth move, national training and educational manager for Decleor and Carita, Fiona Brackenbury, says: "We had outgrown the training facilities at our head office in Connaught Street, but didn't want to stray too far. However, the real catalyst was we could only train 18 girls at any one time and we were fully booked six months in advance. Now that waiting time has been slashed to three weeks," she says proudly.

The building took months to source because the company needed it to be open-plan, so the 2,500 sq. ft they eventually found could be partitioned into the appropriate rooms and cater for everybody's needs.

Those facilities include three training rooms, a lecture room, plus a spacious break-out area, with low, comfortable seats, where drinks are supplied and students can chill out between lessons. There is a very modern and spacious feel throughout, with lots of light wood and natural hues, used to create a bright, airy space.

First impressions

"We wanted our visitors to feel comfortable, to enter the world of Decleor and Carita and be inspired by the look and feel in the hope they might do the same for their own salons," explains Fiona.