quarter inch Book now
A hand with short, bare nude nails and a thin gold ring against a white background.

Short nails, done properly

A nail studio in Leith where nothing is longer than a quarter of an inch. For hands that type, cook, climb and play guitar.

See the menu

Three treatments, all of them short, none of them boring

Bottles of nail polish in grey, nude and deep red on a white table.

The tidy

Shape, cuticle care, buff and a sheer colour. Thirty minutes, on your lunch break.

£22

Short gel

Gel on your own nails, filed to just past the tip. Lasts two to three weeks on busy hands.

£34

Tiny art

Hand-painted details sized for short nails: dots, lines, half-moons and winter trees.

from £42

View all treatments and prices
Short square nails painted with winter trees and snowflakes in navy, pale blue and white.
A hand with short pale pink nails resting on white fur beside a small gold clock.
A hand with short nails in lilac, white and silver glitter, against a white knit. A hand with short black and metallic nails resting on a grey wool sleeve.

The quarter-inch collection

Twelve designs for this winter, each drawn to fit a nail no longer than your fingertip.

What we do

  • Natural nails, kept short and strong
  • Gel and regular polish
  • Repairs for splits and breaks
  • Small hand-painted art
A manicurist painting a client's nails with mint green polish.

What we won't

  • Extensions or tips of any length
  • Acrylic powder
  • Drilling the nail surface
  • Rushing a removal

Word on the street

A hand with short, rounded pink nails held against a bright pink background.
  1. 01"I'm a chef. I had given up on nails entirely. Three weeks of short gel and not a single chip." — Ana Ruiz
  2. 02"The first place that didn't try to sell me longer nails. They filed mine shorter." — Callum Grant
  3. 03"I play cello. Tiny art on short nails is the happiest thing about my hands." — Ingrid Hale

Ready for shorter, better?

Book an appointment
Two hands with short, natural pink nails resting on a fluffy white rug. A hand with short pale pink nails holding a white napkin.

Before your first set

Short means short
Up to six millimetres past the fingertip. Most people go shorter after their second visit.
Come with bare nails if you can
Old gel from somewhere else adds twenty minutes for a careful removal.
We file before we paint
Shape matters more on short nails than long ones. Expect a few minutes of quiet filing.
Tell us what your hands do
A climber and a pianist need different shapes. We will ask.
Book now