The Colour Work You Actually Wanted
Knot Blend Vault is a precision colour and cut studio where Oliver Caldwell and the team take on the reference photos other salons politely decline.
Ready to Book?
Oliver Caldwell opened Knot Blend Vault in spring 2018 after eight years working in other people's salons. The name came from a habit he had already developed: keeping a locked…
The Menu
Ready to Book?
Consultations are free for new colour clients. Tell us what you are after and we will tell you honestly what is possible.
Contact usA bit more
The team is now three stylists including Oliver, and the book runs about six weeks out for colour appointments. Oliver still does the majority of the balayage work himself, and he still writes every formula in the notebook. The salon is closed on Mondays. That is not an accident. Monday is when Oliver tests new products on swatches, restocks the colour bar, and occasionally sits in the back room reading about pigment chemistry with a coffee that goes cold. The rest of the week runs better for it.
They kept telling her it was not possible. I just wanted to find out if that was actually true.News & Announcements
Balayage vs Highlights: Which Technique Suits Your Hair
The question comes up in almost every colour consultation at the Vault: balayage or highlights? Both lighten the hair. Both can produce beautiful results. But they work differently, suit different hair types, and produce results that age differently between appointments. Understanding the distinction before you book saves you from ending up with the wrong technique for your hair.
Read more →Colour Correction: How Many Sessions Does It Actually Take
The most common question after a colour correction consultation is: how long will this take? The honest answer is that it depends on the hair. But there are patterns, and understanding them helps you plan realistically rather than arriving at the first appointment expecting a complete transformation.
Read more →Tonal Mapping: What It Is and Why It Changes a Colour Result
Before any colour is applied at the Vault, Oliver runs a tonal assessment on the hair. It takes about ten minutes and involves looking at the hair under good light, assessing the depth and tone of the existing colour, and identifying the underlying pigment that will affect how the new colour develops. It is not a complicated process, but skipping it is one of the most common reasons colour results disappoint.
Read more →What Sets the Vault Apart
Formula Notebooks, Not Guesswork
Oliver has kept a handwritten record of every colour formula mixed at the Vault since day one. When you return, your exact shade is reproduced from the notebook, not approximated from memory.
Reference Photos Welcome
We built the Vault specifically for clients who were told their reference photo was unrealistic. We assess it honestly, and if we take it on, we take it seriously.
Tonal Mapping Before Every Colour
Every colour appointment begins with a 22-level tonal assessment of your existing hair. It takes ten minutes and prevents the kind of surprises that ruin a Saturday.
Olaplex in Every Colour Service
Bond Builder is included as standard in all colour treatments, not sold as an add-on. We made that decision in 2021 and have not reversed it.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Answer three questions and we will point you toward the right service and a realistic starting point for your hair.
The hands behind it
Oliver Caldwell
Oliver Caldwell spent eight years behind the chair at two well-regarded salons in the city before opening Knot Blend Vault in 2018. He trained in colour theory under a senior colourist in Edinburgh, then moved into balayage and lived-in techniques during a formative stint at a boutique studio in Manchester. What pulled him toward opening his own place was a specific frustration: clients kept coming in with reference photos that nobody was willing to actually attempt. Oliver attempts them. He keeps a notebook of every colour formula he has ever mixed, going back to his first year as a junior. Outside the salon, he grows tomatoes badly and reads about pigment chemistry well.
Tell us what you are looking for
Fill in the form and we will come back to you within two business days with availability and, for colour enquiries, a few questions to help us prepare for your consultation.