Inspiring Tattoo Shop Decor Ideas for 2024

Whether you’re setting up a brand new tattoo studio or just giving your shop an update, choosing the right tattoo shop decor will help you make a lasting impression on clients.

What You Will Learn

We’ll look at different tattoo shop decoration ideas, provide some classic, creative and modern tattoo shop interior design examples, and go over the basics of decor for tattoo shops.

Jump to The Section You Like

  1. How to Design A Tattoo Shop?
  2. Tattoo Shop Design Ideas To Best Use Your Space
  3. Tattoo Shop Decor Ideas To Impress Your Clientele
  4. Conclusion

How to Design A Tattoo Shop?

 

The best tattoo shop decoration results come from planning and consistency.

That’s not to say that your tattoo shop wall decor has to be uniform or that you have to have everything ready at the same time with no room for spontaneity- quite the opposite, in fact.

What we mean is that you’ll need to sit down and take some time to think things through. Decide what you’re hoping to achieve and make a list of ideas. You’ll want to consider:

Your Layout: You’ll want light (and people) to flow naturally through the space, and everyone will need enough room to work or move comfortably. Think about any architectural features or limitations that already exist, as these will impact any tattoo shop interior design ideas in the future.

Some common layouts include:

  • Open Tattoo Shop Layout - these use minimal or no interior walls and often place mirrors on the walls to make the space seem bigger and distribute light. Some have half-walls or partial dividers between chairs.
  • Narrow Tattoo Shop Layout - in these smaller spaces, typically you have chairs down the sides with an open area in the center. Narrow tattoo shop designs often also use mirrors to open up the space.
  • Tattoo Suite Layout - these individual rooms can be rented to artists, or just used to give clients a sense of privacy and added peace and quiet during their sessions. As an added bonus, they can be decorated individually.
  • Small Tattoo Shop Layout - in a tiny space, you’ll want to use as many areas as possible for multiple purposes, and choose furniture with a small footprint. This can lead to some really unique tattoo shop decorations and choices.
  • Multi-room Tattoo Shop Layout - similar to suites, you can set up different “zones” or even rooms using various kinds of lighting, furniture and dividers to give clients privacy and help to make a too-large space seem cozier and more inviting.
How to design a tattoo shop
How to Design A Tattoo Shop?

Your Theme: When it comes to artistic design, tattoo shop owners should consider the overall “vibe” they want the business to give off. This should reflect your brand image and will influence everything from the tattoo shop decorations you select to the furniture and even your sign

Some popular themes are:

  • Minimalist - simple and clean, without too much clutter. Often the walls will be painted white or another neutral shade. It can help make small spaces seem bigger.
  • Vintage - investing in fun, colorful tattoo shop decor items, unique light fixtures and lots of classic wall art can help clients feel at home in this sort of space.
  • Badass - you’re bound to see a few of these, whether it’s goth tattoo shop decorations with plenty of skulls or a more biker and leather-themed spot. This can be a fun choice for the right clientele.
  • Modern - these open spaces often have decorative light bulbs, plenty of mirrors and can feature a fun color choice. Furniture is usually classic black or white leather with plenty of steel and glass on display. Natural wood or stone floors are popular options.

Your Color Scheme: Go with color options that match your brand image- maybe ones on your sign or tattoo shop logo, but make sure to test them in the shop’s lighting. When in doubt, white reflects light well and matches everything.

Lighting: Think about both ambient light and task lighting for your artists. You’ll need to consider overhead or wall fixtures for decoration, tattoo shop mobile task lighting and any natural light sources you want to use. You can use things like mirrors and lighter wall colors to bring in more light.

Client’s Perspective: Think about the age and demographic or your clientele and what they’re likely to gravitate towards. You can look at examples of other tattoo shop ideas, design elements and decor that are popular with these groups online.

We recommend you to check out our post on How to Open a Tattoo Shop.

Tattoo Shop Design Ideas To Best Use Your Space

 
  • Put your retail displays where clients can easily browse and shop for thing, such as in the waiting area or by the front desk
  • Install hidden storage using recessed cabinets, shelves or multipurpose trolleys
  • Make clients feel at home with cozy waiting area furniture- this is not the place to skip on comfort
  • Different kinds of lighting, color and floor leveling can help “zone” or sort your tattoos studio into different areas
  • Tattoo shop decorations are a must, even in a minimalist space- avoid leaving too many empty walls, or you’ll pay the price of looking sterile and dull
  • Plants or shelving can be great partitions to support privacy and muffle sound, when you don’t want to put up walls
  • Use darker colors on stain-prone areas like chairs and waiting room floors
  • Plan things with a possibility to update the space later- you never know when things might need to change

Do not miss our post on tattoo shop names.

Tattoo Shop Decor Ideas To Impress Your Clientele

 

Whether you’re looking for cheap DIY tattoo shop decorating ideas to replace the skulls on your walls or looking to do an upscale overhaul of a new venue, we’ve found some ideas to help inspire you:

Modern Tattoo Shop Decor

East side ink in NYC
East Side Ink in NYC

East Side Ink in NYC is amazingly clean, inviting and modern. The open layout and classic furnishings combine with stylish touches like wood floors and minimalist storage for a great effect.

Vintage Tattoo Shop Decor

Miami’s tattoology lounge
Miami’s Tattoology Lounge

Miami’s Tattoology Lounge takes tattoos back to their roots with a modern-meets-vintage decor, complete with an old-school vending machine, plastic animal skulls and a “Sorry Mom” neon sign on the will. This one is a winner!

Best Tattoo Shop Decor

The 715 Tattoo Collective’s
The 715 Tattoo Collective’s

The 715 Tattoo Collective’s interior uses existing features like brick walls and natural wood floors for its iconic charm. They also display a ton of amazing local art on their walls.

Artistic Tattoo Shop Decor

Brookyln’s Dukkha Tattoo
Brookyln’s Dukkha Tattoo

Brookyln’s Dukkha Tattoo is a bright and unique place to get tattoos done- the fusion of home-like elements (like the cozy waiting area with persian rugs) combine with bright, modern lighting and wall colors to make this open-concept space unforgettable.

Small Tattoo Shop Interior Design

Mister cartoon tattoo studios
Mister Cartoon Tattoo Studios

Mister Cartoon Tattoo Studios in Los Angeles makes great use of a small space. The red accent wall lends depth in design, tattoo shop themed art and sign give the place a cozy, home-like feel, and the versatile under counter shelving keeps the floor open.

Do not miss our posts on Tattoo Business Cards.

Conclusion

 

We hope that we’ve helped inspire you to go out and find the best tattoo shop decorations to make your studio feel like home (or a spooky underground dungeon, we don’t judge). When it comes to finding the best match, it’s important to keep your clients in mind.

Whether you’re looking for cheap tattoo shop decorating ideas or you’re about to price out a glamorous tattoo shop decor, it’s important to have fun and enjoy the process.

Citations

The profit zone: How strategic business design will lead you to tomorrow's profits
https://books.google.com/books?hl=ru&lr=&id=SunHELRB7SsC&oi

The design of business: Why design thinking is the next competitive advantage
https://books.google.com/books?hl=ru&lr=&id=CvpAgm8dQQkC&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=

Interior office design and visitor response
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1981-02281-001

Rating: 4.5 of 5 - 4 votes