Your reception area and waiting rooms have a significant role in the first impressions experienced by clients when they attend your business.
In 2020, gone are the days of the cold clinical rows of transit seating. Reception areas now embrace a warmer homely feel created through the use of warmer tones, rich textures and added greenery.
Some design elements to consider include:
Biophilic Interiors
This means, to bring the outside in through the use of nature and natural light. Literally meaning to ‘love nature’.
By incorporating natural elements into your reception, waiting room and workspaces, these can have many health benefits, such as helping to reduce stress and feeling more comfortable in a work environment. Nature gives a calming affect to both clients and staff and living plants also help to clean the air.
Tip : In our covidsafe world, planters could be used to separate seating, rather than just having a room full of equally spaced chairs.
Natural Materials
The use of natural materials in your fit-out such as incorporating timber and stonework can give a luxury feel to your reception space. This can be offset by concrete look and solid surfaces for the areas that are within reach and need to be easily sterilized.
Tip : Ceilings and high wall areas could include slatted timber screening, hanging planters and stonework cladding.
Covid safe materials
Materials such as counter tops, benches, desks and tables need to be specified to ensure they are non-porous and hygienic. Advanced in solid surface acrylics that imitate natural stone make them an attractive alternative.
Limiting contact of surfaces is another area to consider.
Tip : The use of automated ingress doors, not only for the primary entrance but also for other frequently used doorways is a good way to limit contact with door furniture.
Theming your practice to your local area
A good way to make clients feel comfortable is to theme your reception area to the match the local environment.
If your practice is in a beachside area, then imagery from the beach, boardwalks or other landmarks can be introduced through large profile wall prints.
Tip: If your practice is in an urban or Heritage area, then black and white imagery of the history of the area could be used, as this will help ground your practice as a fixture of the suburb and give a feeling of permanence, even if you have a new practice.
Technology
The advances in technology for medical reception areas include
Digital waiting room screens
these replace the traditional noticeboard and can help in two areas, the first is to distract from any delay in waiting time whilst also enabling you to educate your clients and give healthy advice, without the need for people to handle printed material.
Digital signage
Used to good effect in luxury good stores, the use of digital signage or digital projected imagery can help to build your brand presence even after hours and provide a high quality look to the presentation of your business.
Tip : The use of switchable glass can be an area where images can be projected onto, to advertise your business and its services in a unique way.
Article written by Tim Christopher from Christopher Design Group. They are an award winning design company specialising in medical and residential properties.
