Creating a dental office decorating plan is a great first step before you begin painting and buying the furniture you’ll require to complete the job. This plan ensures you have some goals in mind and can follow through to achieve your desired appearance.
There are many different directions you can take your dental office design, depending on the scope of your practice. How you ultimately decorate will come down to your personal preferences.
Dental offices should be functional and welcoming, because you want to put your patients’ minds at ease without restricting your ability to do your job. This guide will take you through the process of setting goals and provide some dental office decorating tips.
The Goals of Decorating a Dental Office
You’ll want to establish some aims before you begin decorating your dental office. Having some guiding principles in mind can ensure you know why you’re redecorating in the first place and help you create the look you’re trying to achieve. Common decorating goals include:
- Creating a Welcoming Environment
An unwelcoming atmosphere in a dental office makes it less likely a patient will return. Many people have enough anxiety associated with visiting the dentist already and don’t need the environment making their appointments even more unpleasant. Your decor should help make every guest feel like they’re returning home as soon as they walk through your doors.
- Offering Amenities
You can integrate amenities into your dental office decor that will make the entire facility more functional. Including bookshelves, televisions, and games in your decoration plan, for example, gives visitors something to do while sitting in your waiting room. Your patients will appreciate the effort, making them more likely to come back.
- Making Patients Comfortable
Another essential part of running a dentist’s office involves keeping your patients comfortable. Your decorating has a lot to do with their comfort, as the furniture and equipment shouldn’t add stress to the situation. Nice chairs and good lighting can add a great deal to your visitors’ comfort levels.
Establishing a reason for decorating your dental office can put you on the right track. You’ll then need to figure out a more specific plan to get your facility looking just how you want it.
7 Tips for Dental Office Decorating
Coming up with a dental office decorating plan is an excellent way to ensure you end up with a design you like. Following a few tips along the way helps create a space you, your employees, and, most importantly, your patients will appreciate.
1. Develop Your Theme
Creating a theme and sticking to it is an essential part of dental office decorating. This theme could make the office feel cool and exclusive, elegant, homey, or family-friendly, depending on your preferences. You’ll want to develop your theme first and then make your furniture, paint, and decor purchases with it in mind.
2. Carefully Choose Your Colors
Perhaps the easiest way to give your dental office a makeover is by adding a fresh coat of paint. Painting the walls can make everything feel brand new and is a great way to liven things up. Be careful not to add too many bright colors, though, and carefully choose your shades, so they mesh with your furniture and other decors. A pediatric dentist’s office, on the other hand, might want bright, lively colors that will bring cheer to their young patients.
3. Add Artwork
A bit of art on the walls goes a long way toward creating a welcoming environment in your dental office. Paintings and pictures also give the office an at-home feel, making patients more comfortable and relaxed. You don’t have to spend a fortune on this art to inject a bit of personality, either.
4. Include Plants and Flowers
An office without greenery can feel sterile and unwelcoming, which is why incorporating some plants is a good idea. You could even go with artificial plants if you don’t get much sunlight, or bring fresh flowers into the office a couple of times per week to brighten it up. Remember to dust and clean your plants regularly if you go with the artificial option.
5. Update Your Furniture
Your furniture says a lot about the office as a whole, so buying some modern couches and chairs for your waiting area is a good idea. Old, worn-out furniture makes it seems like you don’t care about the place and gives visitors a poor first impression. You can also incorporate your furnishings, including any shelves you install, into the office’s theme.
6. Upgrade the Lighting
The lighting in your dental office helps set the feel for the environment. Natural light is always best because it’s a mood enhancer, but warm light bulbs and lamps also make the space more inviting. You should avoid fluorescence lights whenever possible, because they can make the room seem cold and dull.
7. Cater to Your Clientele
Who will be visiting your dental office most often? Pediatric dentists, for instance, should have games, books, and furniture that makes children feel comfortable, while other offices would want a more grown-up feel to them. Consider who you’re trying to attract when putting your dental office decorating plan together to achieve the best results.
There’s no catch-all method of dental office decorating, because most of the decisions depend on your personal preferences and the type of patient you’re trying to attract. Putting some effort into the design process, however, makes it far more likely you’ll hit your mark.
Your Source for Expert Dental Office Decorating Assistance
Decorating a dental office can be overwhelming because there are so many different factors to include. You must be careful to keep the office functional while creating an environment that patients will find welcoming and calming at the same time. You might consider getting some interior design help before going ahead with your plan, so you can ensure you’re reaching your goals.
The Genau Group offers interior design and furniture selection assistance in the Washington, D.C., region. We can help you create an image for your practice and follow through on the design by obtaining the decor and providing project management services if you require significant renovations. Contact our team today for more information on our dental office decorating services.
