Dental Office Interior Design Can Be Pretty and Functional
It’s a common misconception that medical offices need to be completely white and sterile-looking. That’s usually what makes people feel uneasy in these spaces, which is unfortunate because medical offices are where people receive help.
If anything, medical facilities should be places where people feel comfortable and relieved. Their design doesn’t need to be so stern and cold. The same applies to any dental operatory design.
Unfortunately, many people have a fear of the dentist for whatever reason. It ranges from slight anxiety to panic attacks. One of the things contributing to that is bad design concepts. It’s wrong to think that interior design doesn’t matter that much to a patient’s overall comfort level.
So, dental offices don’t have to be just functional and nothing else. They can be aesthetically pleasing and a joy to visit and stay in. That’s why good design matters.
A lot of factors go into designing spaces. It’s not just coming up with a concept and making it come to life. A lot goes into planning, execution, and all things behind the scenes. That’s what we’re here to talk about.
The Phases: How It All Comes to Life
It’s safe to say that there are many interior design phases. For the convenience of easy understanding, we’ll separate them into five groups. Those include:
- Programming
- Schematic design
- Design development
- Contract documentation
- Contract administration
The programming phase is where the initial magic happens. Design phases in architecture can seem dull or complicated, but this one is fun. During this phase, you discuss your vision and define your goals. Tell your dental office designer what you want the space to look like, what feelings it should evoke, and how functional you want it to be. All of those things will affect what the design is going to look like.
The schematic design phase follows closely because this is when you’ll refine your goals based on the design you currently have. You and your designer will explore multiple solutions and come to terms with whatever seems the best for your floor plan.
Afterward comes the design development phase. The design intent is clear now, and it’s time to work out all of the details. That can include specific items you want in your space, for example. Also, this is when the dimensions of things are finalized.
In the next stage, the contract documentation phase, your designer will do just that — document the entire process. That will include both 2D and 3D copies of the final design and other appropriate documentation.
Finally, your project is ready to come to life in the contract administration phase! Contractors will be hired, dust will fly off, light fixtures will be installed, and your dental office will be complete.
What Comes After?
After all of the interior design project phases are complete, it’s time to take another walk-through with your designer and/or architect to ensure everything is done correctly. Once you’re happy with the outcome, the project is finally complete, and you can celebrate.
Pay attention to how you feel in your new space. We know it will make you feel proud, but try to be objective. Also, you can ask the people at the grand opening how they feel about it. Sure, it will be functional, but you want your future patients to feel at ease when they come in and wait for their appointment.
What a good design can do is make your patients want to come back. In turn, this will result in more revenue for your dental practice. That’s why you should listen to your patients’ needs as well. If any of them voice their opinions or have constructive criticism about what could’ve been done differently, take note of it. You can try to implement their suggestions if you think it’s possible.
Even though your project might seem final, you can always add or remove things. You can also think of a new design and redecorate or renovate parts of your office. Just because one project is done, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the journey.
Design Phases Can Help Your Project
Design phases are a systematized process that helps you see your project from the beginning to the end. It is what helps everyone stay on the right path and always know what the next step is. Whether you’re designing a dental office, medical boutique, or apartment, the rules and phases remain the same.
Having a clear path to completion allows all parties to be more creative. That’s because you’re never actively thinking about what’s the next step. Instead, you can enjoy the projects that are currently on your table. In turn, that will result in better designs, happier clients, and happier patients.
That’s not all that design phases do — there is also paperwork. It is not something everyone enjoys doing. It can become tiresome and kill all of the creativity, too. That’s why design phases help everyone stay on the right track, allowing people to work efficiently even through piles of documentation that need to be done.
Lastly, phases of interior design help every client be a happy client. When you have a clear path your project will go in, you’ll know what to expect from your designer. Not only that, but they’ll be able to listen to your wishes and give you the end result that you wanted from the beginning.
In architectural design, it’s always essential to have a system like this that will allow you to do your job better. Naturally, performing well leads to happier customers, and they lead to positive reviews, which result in even more customers coming your way. That’s still not all, because these design phases will make your job a piece of cake every time.