Salon wall display: shelf pitch is the whole design.
A wall display is a grid. Get the pitch wrong and a third of the wall holds nothing, or the tallest bottle has to lie down. The grid follows the product list, not the drawing board.
A grid with a product list attached
A wall display is a grid, and the grid is set by the tallest item in each product family. Choose the pitch from the drawing board and a third of the wall will hold nothing, or the tallest bottle will have to lie down.
That is why the product list comes before the drawing. It is a five minute exercise that saves a rebuild, and it is the step most often skipped when the wall is bought as part of a fit-out package.
Shelf lighting, two ways
Light can run along each shelf, close to the product, or vertically up the back of the unit. Per shelf lighting puts light on the front of the product and needs a route up one side. Vertical lighting fills the gaps between shelves and leaves each product slightly shadowed.
Most retail walls end up with per shelf lighting on the display rows and a vertical on the feature bay. That is a drawing decision, not an order time decision, because the route has to be inside the carcass.
Fixings and stock
The wall substrate decides the fixing, and the fixing decides the load. Plasterboard on studs, brick and a shopfront panel are three different walls, and a shelf of glass bottles is heavier than it looks.
Lower cabinets turn a display wall into stock storage, which shortens the restock walk and costs depth at floor level. In a narrow salon that depth is the walkway, so the trade is worth making on the plan.
Spec sheet
Pitch, run and loading come from your product list and your wall. The sheet marks which of the three is which.
| Field | This build | What the value decides |
|---|---|---|
| Run length | Per project, from the wall | Set by the wall and the walkway, not by a standard unit width |
| Shelf pitch | Per product list, per drawing | The tallest item in each family sets the pitch for that bay |
| Shelf depth | Per product list | A deep shelf wastes wall on small product and hides the back row |
| Shelf load | Per data sheet | Glass bottles and boxed retail load a shelf very differently |
| Back panel | Painted panel, mirror or slat, per finish | A slat back needs more clearance behind the shelf for fixings |
| Lighting route | Per shelf or vertical, per drawing | The route is inside the carcass, so it is decided with the drawing |
| Switching | Room circuit or separate, per project | A wall lit after hours is a security decision as well as a power one |
| Lower storage | Cabinets, drawers or open, per drawing | Depth at floor level narrows the walkway in a small salon |
| Fixings | Per substrate, confirmed on site | Stud, brick and panel walls take different anchors and different loads |
| Certification route | Confirmed at quotation, per destination market | The lighting accessory is declared separately from the joinery |
The sheet is a summary, not a substitute for the drawing. Values that read per project are confirmed against your room before the order is placed.
Where a wall display fits, and where it does not
It fits the four metres between the door and the reception desk, which is where most salon retail happens. It also fits a treatment room corridor, where a shallow wall of product sells while a client waits.
It does not fit a wall that is needed for storage. A display wall that also has to hold boxes, linen and equipment turns into a stock shelf with retail on the front, and neither job is done well.
It also does not fit a room where the wall cannot take a fixing. A stud wall with a shallow cavity needs the load designed into it before the shelves are chosen.
How buyers customise a wall display, and what each option changes
The first two rows decide whether the wall works. The rest decide how it is lived with.
- Shelf pitch
- Changes how much of the wall is usable. Pitch set from the product list is the single biggest gain on a retail wall.
- Shelf depth
- Changes the visibility of the back row. Too deep and the product at the back is never seen.
- Lighting route
- Changes the carcass and the electrical drawing. Per shelf lighting needs a vertical route inside one side.
- Lower storage
- Changes the walkway and the restock routine. Stock at the wall saves steps and costs floor depth.
- Back panel
- Changes what the shelf product sits against. A mirror shows the back of every bottle.
- Fixings
- Changes the installation day. The substrate is checked before the drawing is issued, not on the morning.
What to confirm before you approve a wall display sample
6 checks on the wall displays build before the order is approved.
- The product list with the tallest item measured, and the pitch that follows from it.
- The wall substrate, with a fixing test done on site rather than assumed from the drawing.
- The shelf load for the heaviest family, weighed rather than estimated.
- The lighting route in section, and where the driver and the switch sit.
- The walkway with the lower cabinets in place, measured at the narrowest point.
- The finish sample under the wall's own light, since a warm wall changes a pale laminate.
Questions that come back before the order
Short answers to the questions that arrive with the first email.
How is shelf pitch decided?
From the tallest item in each product family plus a hand's clearance. A wall planned around an average height wastes the top row and squeezes the tall bottles.
Do shelves have to be adjustable?
Adjustable shelves let the range change without a rebuild, and they cost a visible line of holes. A fixed pitch in the display bays and one adjustable bay is the usual compromise.
Can the wall be extended later?
If the lighting circuit and the run length were planned for it. Extending a lit wall into an unplanned corner usually means a second driver and a visible joint.
More in Display fixtures
The neighbouring builds, and the line page they sit under.
Fit-outs that use this line
The two scenes where these pieces are specified.
Send the room, get a quoted wall displays.
The measurement, the working side and the destination market are enough to start. The reply names the build, the options and the documents you asked for.