More stories

  • in

    Studio Author models Toronto dental clinic on a hotel lounge

    Rich materials, ambient lighting and a waiter-serviced aftercare lounge are among the hotel-informed features that interiors firm Studio Author has incorporated into this dental practice in Toronto to help patients feel more at ease.

    Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, Paste Dental uses digital technology such as 3D-printing to make everything from night guards to permanent dental crowns in the hopes of providing a quicker and more stress-free dentist experience.
    Studio Author has designed the interior of Paste Dental in TorontoIn this spirit, Studio Author eschewed the sterile design elements that are typically associated with medical interiors in favour of those more commonly found in the city’s nearby hotel lounges.
    “Paste showcases a new attitude to dental care to make patients feel comfortable and shatters the usual preconception of a visit to the dentist,” said the studio.
    Velvet-upholstered seating boots provide a place to rest in the lobby”Our challenge was to separate the patient from both the expected sterile, white, clinical experience and the bustle of the city beyond,” the practice continued.

    To create an “elevated atmosphere” inside the boutique dental clinic, Studio Author clad the practice’s interior walls in limestone.
    A wood-lined corridor leads to the treatment roomsThis also served to block views from the street and foster a greater sense of privacy for patients.
    The circular lobby with its mohair upholstered walls and warm burl wood reception desk was designed to create a homey, welcoming atmosphere. The scheme is rounded off with an oversized, tiered paper pendant light and a colourful mix of marble tiles on the floor.

    Seven dental clinics designed to take the pain out of check ups

    Two individual gold velvet booth seats are recessed into the upholstered walls of the lobby to provide a private moment for customers upon arrival.
    A gently curved, wood-lined corridor with low-level lighting connects the reception to the treatment and consultation areas beyond.
    Dental equipment is concealed behind oversized doors”The spatial planning was thoughtfully carved to guide the guest through a controlled journey from arriving into the plush private reception area, resplendent with fresh flowers, through consultation, treatment and waiter-serviced aftercare,” Studio Author said.
    The material palette of warm wood and marble paired with soft lighting is continued in the treatment rooms, where dental equipment is deliberately concealed behind oversized doors.
    Each treatment room has a custom marble vanityEach room has a large mirror positioned above a custom marble vanity with an integrated sink and oak panelling.
    Finally, Paste Dental’s aftercare lounge is wrapped in velvet and wood panelling and furnished with lounge seating to provide a space for patients to rest after their appointment.
    Patients can unwind in the aftercare loungeThe project has been shortlisted in the health and wellbeing interior category of this year’s Dezeen Award alongside a Hong Kong gym informed by space travel and a dusty-pink welfare centre at an all-boys school in Melbourne.
    The photography is by Niamh Barry.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Hanczarstudio designs migraine treatment centre to be “devoid of stimuli”

    From a muted colour palette to lights that are rarely switched on, the MIGRE treatment centre by Hanczarstudio in Wroclaw, Poland, was designed to help alleviate discomfort.

    Local design practice Hanczarstudio designed the interior of the MIGRE migraine treatment centre in Wroclaw, Poland, to deviate from traditional medical environments.
    “We wanted to create a space that was soothing and evokes associations with a beauty salon, spa or massage parlour, rather than a medical facility,” said Hanczarstudio founder Szymon Hanczar.
    Hanczarstudio designed MIGRE to reduce impact of migrainesMigraines are persistent and throbbing unilateral headaches, often accompanied by nausea as well as noise and light sensitivity. The causes of migraine episodes are difficult to identify, but throughout the design the studio aimed to minimalism potential sources of discomfort.
    Photophobia – meaning sensitivity to light – was addressed by diffusing soft light throughout the space. Translucent blinds help to temper bright natural sunlight coming in through the windows.

    Plants absorb sound and promote a sense of calmArtificial lighting had to be installed in order to meet building regulations, however these are usually left switched off in favour of indirect natural light.
    “Standards are met with the inclusion of all upper light sources, but in the day-to-day operations of the centre, they are not used,” explained Hanczar.
    “The project even included halogens, which are absolutely inadvisable in the environment of migraine sufferers, as illumination for the display rack, but it too has its alternative source of soft lighting in the form of reflected light.”
    Blinds diffuse sunlight, which is reflected off of wooden surfacesThe 110-square-metre space – that includes five treatment rooms, an entry hall and a waiting room – was lined with rhythmic floor-to-ceiling oak panelling. Furniture with rounded edges, a significant amount of which is bespoke to the project, was used through out the space.
    The decision to use a neutral, warm-toned colour scheme and avoid any use of bright or contrasting colours was taken in order to avoid aggravating migraine symptoms through visual overstimulation.

    Modern Age longevity clinic creates calm with 3form resin interiors

    Migraine sufferers can also be highly sensitive to noise – the site benefits from being in a relatively quiet neighbourhood, and acoustic ceiling panels installed throughout help to mitigate any additional loud noises. Upholstered chairs, plants, wood panelling and blinds further help to dampen sound.
    “[MIGRE is] a soothing, patient-friendly space, devoid of stimuli that exacerbate malaise during attacks of migraine pain,” said the studio. “It was the needs of patients, not fashionable trends, that had a decisive influence on the final design of this space.”
    Treatment rooms have timber panelingDespite being worlds apart from conventional medical spaces with stark white walls and bright overhead strip lights, the interior still needed to be up to code with hygienic standards.
    Specifying PVC carpet tiles for the flooring, easy to clean hard surfaces and removable and washable upholstery ensure that the space can be kept sterile and sanitary.
    Both bespoke and specified furniture and treatments are medical grade”The interior design will not take away [the patient’s] illness, but I hope it will make them feel maybe better and for sure calmer,” Hanczar told Dezeen.
    Other medical treatment centre’s featured on Dezeen include a cancer care facility in Belgiuminterior by Archekta and Ark-shelter and a wellness centre in New York City by Remedy Places.
    The photography is courtesy of Zasoby Studio.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Nickolas Gurtler brings 1970s Italian glamour to Youth Lab clinic in Perth

    Australian designer Nickolas Gurtler has drawn from the nightclubs of 1970s Milan and Florence to create the interior for a cosmetic clinic in Perth, Australia.

    It is the third interior that Gurtler has created for Youth Lab, a clinic that offers a range of non-surgical cosmetic treatments that include anti-ageing procedures, hair removal and skin rejuvenation.
    The waiting area features a mirror wall, gold lights and a green silk carpetLocated in Joondalup, Youth Lab 3.0 is the brand’s most experimental space so far.
    While the two other locations – in Claremont and West Perth – occupy heritage buildings, this one is set inside a commercial block from the 1990s. This meant Gurtler could be more daring in his approach.
    A Dina Broadhurst artwork provides a focal pointWhile the design was partly informed by the brand’s minimalist identity, it also features playful details that include mirror walls and a grand geometric reception desk.

    “There were some really outrageous and glamorous concepts that I really responded to and had filed away for the right project,” said Gurtler.
    “When Youth Lab approached us again for their third clinic, I knew that this was the right time to bring them to life.”
    The reception desk is formed of Arabescato marble and Venetian plasterThe starting point was the palette of forms and materials that Gurtler has worked with previously for the brand, which includes decorative marble, plush velvet and metal cabinetry.
    While the Claremont space that Gurtler designed for the brand has a New York loft vibe, here these elements are paired with shades of olive green and gold to create a more retro Italian feel.
    “This language is a kind of style guide for us on each project,” said Gurtler.
    “Common elements such as mixed metals, monolithic forms, plush textures and rich colour are used in each of the clinics, but we translate these elements completely differently each time.”
    The colour palette centres around olive green and goldArabescato marble is combined with Venetian plaster and polished aluminium to create the cuboidal forms of the reception desk, which sits beneath a custom glass and brass lighting pendant by designer Lost Profile Studio.
    A large gridded mirror installation provides the backdrop to a waiting area furnished with a green silk carpet, a blocky marble coffee table and sculptural white armchairs.
    A sculpture by American potter Jonathan Adler sits in front of a second mirror wallRows of golden-hued ceiling lights are reflected in the mirrors, doubling their visual impact, and an artwork by Dina Broadhurst creates another focal point.
    As customers are led through for treatment, they also encounter a second mirror wall, a ceramic by American potter Jonathan Adler, custom wall lights and brass door numbers.
    Custom lighting scones embellish the wallsYouth Lab 3.0 was longlisted for Dezeen Awards 2022 in the leisure and wellness interior category, along another of Gurtler’s designs, the Cole Hair Studio.
    The designer hopes the space offers “an immersive and sensorial experience which is as much invigorating as it is calming”.
    “The Youth Lab experience is a luxury and the interior reflects that,” he added.
    The photography is by Timothy Kaye.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Modern Age longevity clinic creates calm with 3form resin interiors

    Promotion: longevity clinic Modern Age has opened its flagship studio in New York City, with an interior design featuring translucent 3form materials, which aims to create a welcoming environment.

    The Modern Age studio offers a wide range of treatments and products, including IV drip therapy, botox and wrinkle relaxers, vitamins and hormone therapy.
    The flagship clinic was designed in-house by the brand’s head of studio design Madelynn Ringo, who wanted to create a calm and welcoming environment for clients undertaking treatments.
    The Modern Age studio uses translucent 3form Chroma resin throughout its interiorTo achieve a futuristic look, 3form’s Chroma resin material was chosen to feature in several places to create consistency throughout the interior while conjuring the desired mood.
    Chroma is a thick resin that 3form describes as offering high clarity and light transmission, which is durable and cleanable enough to be used even for horizontal applications such as tables, benches, boxes and counters.

    Its look is highly customisable with an array of finishes, diffusions and effects, and a choice of more than 250 colours.
    A peachy coral hue of Chroma was chosen for the suite doorsRingo wanted to create private spaces within the studio without reducing the light transmission, so she used Chroma in a peachy coral hue to make translucent pocket doors for the suites, and then applied the material again as shelving in the retail area to tie the interior together.
    The material helps the space to look glowy and inviting and has the advantage of being easy to work with.
    “3form’s materials are similar to glass, but are much lighter weight,” said Ringo. “This allows us to fabricate it in other ways that would be too heavy if we tried to use glass.”
    “Sometimes we can send it to our fabricators to craft into different shapes, which is easier and safer to cut than glass onsite.”
    The same colour is echoed in the retail area’s resin shelvesModern Age was also keen to work with environmentally friendly materials, and 3form’s material has the GreenGuard Gold certification for being low in chemical emissions and the Declare Label disclosing all of the ingredients in the final product.
    Ringo completed the space with more textured materials and finishes that provide a contrast to Chroma. They are also meant to hint at the ageing process and the beauty of imperfections.
    “Everyone has their own imperfections and we highlight that through the materiality of the space,” said Ringo. “The veininess of the terracotta tiles represents signs of ageing. The walls have a painterly limewash, to not show something that was too refined.”
    3form is an American brand that manufactures a range of resin, glass and felt materials for various architectural applications. In addition to its environmental sustainability goals, it also holds a Just Label, which recognises its social justice and equity outcomes.
    Visit 3form’s website for more information on Chroma and its other products.
    Partnership content
    This article was written by Dezeen for 3form as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Hariri Pontarini rethinks cold medical interiors at Barlo MS Centre

    Canadian architecture studio Hariri Pontarini has completed a clinic in Toronto for multiple sclerosis patients that features warm wood tones and spaces designed to feel like “first-class airplane lounges”.

    The Barlo MS Centre is Canada’s largest clinic dedicated to those with MS, a complex autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system.
    The BARLO MS Centre was designed with atypical colours, materials, textures and lightingNamed after its two biggest donors, the Barford and Love families, the centre occupies the top two floors of a new 17-storey tower at St Michael’s Hospital in Downtown Toronto.
    The 30,000-square-foot (2,790-square-metre) facility was designed by local studio Hariri Pontarini Architects, which aimed to rethink sterile-looking healthcare spaces and focus on patient wellbeing through the use of atypical colours, materials, textures and lighting.
    The clinic’s two storeys are connected by a staircase that rises through an atrium”Canadians are particularly prone to MS for reasons that are unclear,” said the studio.

    “This hospital’s mission is nothing less than to transform MS care and become the world’s leading MS centre through research and clinical treatment.”
    Circular consultation rooms are partially clad in walnutTaking cues from the hospitality industry, the team aimed to create a “comfortable and welcoming environment” by filling the spaces with daylight and offering views of the skyline.
    The two floors are connected by a double-height atrium, topped with an oculus that allows more natural light in from above.
    The wavy panels conceal the rooms from the main circulation corridorA staircase rises up through the atrium, curving towards the top with a glass balustrade to follow the shape of the opening.
    Downstairs, the atrium connects to a lounge at the corner of the building and a reception area anchored by a curved white counter.
    Infusion pods are given privacy by pale wood screensA wide corridor leads past a series of cylindrical consultation rooms that are partially glazed, but screened where they face the circulation area by wavy walnut panels.
    On the other side of the floor plan, smaller and more open consultation booths named infusion pods are still offered privacy with curved pale wood screens.
    Different varieties of wood give the interiors a warm tone”The infusion pods where patients may sit for up to eight hours are modelled to resemble a first-class airplane lounge and provide complete control over their environment,” the Hariri Pontarini team said.
    Various light-toned woods are used for wall panels and balustrades, as well as thin slats that extend across the ceilings.
    The atrium connects to a lounge and waiting areaAll spaces were designed with durability and accessibility in mind, considering that some MS patients have vision and cognitive loss, fatigue and impaired coordination.
    Bronze-coloured handrails were installed along the majority of walls and partitions, while anti-slip porcelain tiles cover the floors to aid patient mobility.

    UUfie completes light-filled Ontario medical clinic with translucent polycarbonate walls

    The centre also includes a gym, a mock apartment adapted for MS patients, and rooms for meetings, research and administration.
    Together, it provides patients with a space to see a dedicated healthcare team in one location and clinicians the state-of-the-art resources to offer the best possible treatment.
    An oculus above the atrium brings daylight into the centre of the buildingHariri Pontarini Architects was founded by Siamak Hariri and David Pontarini in 1994.
    One of the studio’s most recognisable buildings is the Bahá’í temple in Chile, featuring torqued wings made of steel and glass, while its work closer to home includes the glass-wrapped Tom Patterson Theatre in Stratford, Ontario.
    Handrails are provided throughout the clinic to aid patient mobilityThe Bar MS Centre is one of five projects shortlisted in the Leisure and Wellness Interior category of the Dezeen Awards 2022, along with a Shenzhen cinema and a spa in the Maldives.
    See the full Interiors shortlist and vote now for your favourites.
    The photography is by A-Frame.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Frederick Tang Architecture transforms New York loft into light-filled wellness studio

    Interior architecture and design studio Frederick Tang Architecture (FTA) has updated Moxi, a wellness studio and acupuncture centre in Soho, New York by re-arranging its interiors around an expansive oval skylight.

    Frederick Tang Architecture, based in Brooklyn, was tasked with reordering and redesigning the open-plan, top-floor studio into a space that accommodates a reception area, six treatment rooms, offices, bathrooms, herb dispensary and pantry.
    Frederick Tang Architecture wanted to capture natural lightThe studio took the 1901 mercantile building’s skylight as the starting point for the refurbishment of the rectangular-shaped space.
    Its dense urban context required an innovative solution to increase the floor area while introducing natural light throughout.
    Moxi is arranged around a central skylight”Architecturally we wanted to organise the many different components in a plan that felt logical and complete which was difficult with space constraints,” said Frederick Tang, director of design and principal architect at Frederick Tang Architecture (FTA).

    “We started by organizing the plan around the sources of natural light,” he told Dezeen.
    An office space has been added to the interiorVisitors enter the wellness studio and arrive at a reception area framed by four arched windows overlooking Broadway.
    Here, a custom bench crafted from white oak slats and copper detailing curves along two walls while sculptural pendant lights hang from the ceiling.
    To maximise space and take full advantage of the natural light, this area doubles as a site for gatherings and classes.
    The reception is flanked by four arched windowsFTA reconfigured Moxi’s rooms as well as softened corners and created arches that echo some of the existing architecture of the space for the client who wanted the interior to feel “holistic, natural, calm and inspiring”.
    A single corridor leads to all six treatment rooms, which were also coloured in shades of green.
    The walls were lime-washed in a soft cypress green, with wainscotting wooden panels painted in a darker shade of the same hue.

    Rose Ink Workshop designs membership club for wellness in New York City

    FTA wanted the colour to contrast traditional wellness studios which are often white and feel more clinical.
    “The predominant colour was green –lime washed in a cypress and deep forest – chosen for its property to heal, critical at the front where the patron first experiences the space,” said the architects.
    Each acupuncture treatment room has a different wallpaperThe treatment rooms, which are the most intimate sections in the studio, contain two bedrooms and a bathroom arranged around the lightwell.
    The green was offset by hints of pale peach throughout the interior and natural finishes including terrazzo, concrete, boucle and ribbed glass add depth and texture.
    A kitchenette is located at the end of the central corridorAt the end of the corridor, a second archway opens into a back-of-house area, where FTA has inserted a new office, herb dispensary, staff pantry, and bath.
    Other design-focused wellness spaces include the Shelter wellness centre in Sydney, which is located in a former restaurant and Yoko Kitahara spa in Israel, which was transformed from an Ottoman-era home.
    The photography is by Gieves Anderson.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Norm Architects designs spa-like dental clinic modelled on art galleries

    Warm oak and smooth concrete are among the materials that Danish studio Norm Architects used to create the interiors for this Antwerp dental surgery, which aims to defy traditional, more clinical designs.

    The clinic, called Dentology+, is spread over a cavernous basement area and a ground-floor level. Both have been clad in a neutral material palette that was designed to evoke a sense of calm.
    The dental clinic was designed to defy traditional medical interiorsThe private dental clinic’s basement is made up of a set of dusty grey corridors, which Copenhagen-based Norm Architects designed to make it look as if the rooms were carved from a block of concrete.
    These concrete volumes are interrupted only by carefully selected minimal design elements such as geometric alcoves, pared-back black pendant lights and an earthy-hued circular artwork by Sara Martinsen.
    A cavernous basement area defines half the surgeryA low-slung sofa finished in a light-coloured textile also features in the basement, which was designed by Norm Architects’ longtime collaborator Keiji Ashizawa for Japanese brand Ariake.

    “The need to dwell and retreat to intimate nooks is a basic human requirement that we cannot dismiss when shaping living spaces,” Norm Architects co-founder Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen told Dezeen.
    Circular artwork by Sara Martinsen hangs above a low-slung sofaDentology+’s upper level was designed to be brighter and airier than its basement, while maintaining the clinic’s overall neutral theme.
    Cubes of light oak create walls and doors that are interspersed with objects including a pebble-like vase on a plinth, in a design that takes cues from the interiors of an art gallery.
    Translucent curtains line the windows of the operating rooms.

    i29 creates colour-block interiors for Amsterdam dental clinic

    The choice to design Dentology+’s interior using materials that might be considered unusual for medical spaces was made in an attempt to enhance patients’ wellbeing, according to architect Sofie Thorning.
    “In many ways, we looked more to beautiful spa resorts than classic white dental clinics for inspiration,” she told Dezeen.
    Operating rooms exist within light oak walls”Material translucency and soft, warm light paired with carefully considered, crafted materials work to reshape the patient experience and perception,” she added. “The space is nothing like an ordinary dental clinic.”
    “What we surround ourselves with simply has a great impact on our mood and behaviour, which is why working with natural materials in architecture and design is a simple way to enrich our surroundings and enhance our quality of life,” added Bjerre-Poulsen.
    Afteroom chairs by Menuspace feature on the upper levelFounded in 2008, Norm Architects is a multidisciplinary design studio based in Copenhagen. Other projects by the practice that celebrate neutral and calming interiors include a minimal Chinese tea parlour and a jewellery store in Copenhagen informed by modernist artists’ studios.
    The photography is by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen.
    Project credits:
    Architect & Partner: Sofie ThorningArchitect: Qing YeClient: Dentology+

    Read more: More