The best comment a design can get is, wow, is that really in that small rural town?!

Located in a former Scotiabank in Slave Lake, AB, our Client purchased the building to relocate their expanding optometry practice. Relocating from a 1960’s RCMP detachment turned clinic with less than 1400 square feet to this new space with 4,465 square feet provided many opportunities to create a clinic of their dreams. Their new space includes a large retail and optometry dispensing area, a private waiting lounge, a large and welcoming reception area, a separate prescription area near the optometry lab, four exam lanes, two dry-eye and cosmetic rooms, two pre-test rooms, a visual fields room, contact-lens training and even a medi-spa room. The vision, a timeless space that felt like a serene Malibu beach house.

Natural light can be a deterrent for many programming functions of an optometry clinic, as many rooms need light control, and with over a thousand frames on display, retail displays need more wall space. With vast West and North exterior window, we used this opportunity to bring treatment rooms to the South demising wall and created a ring-road in the middle of the clinic for other rooms. This allowed us to bring natural light into corridors and the retail areas while achieving the light control we needed.

To achieve the design goal, a monochromatic palette was proposed using light-toned woods, tones creams and greys, marble elements and natural light. This was also complimented by the subtle use of black, bronze and gold metals. While the space was very rectilinear, it was made less rigid and softened using curved walls, curved and rounded design elements in millwork and ceilings, and curated fixtures and furnishings that helped anchor this concept.

The defining feature is the stunning reception desk feature. Comprised of two separate, yet complimentary elements, this desk anchors the space and sets the tone for the design. The front desk, designed as a piece of furniture with curved ends, is adorned by a hand-troweled, hammered and polished liquid metal shroud, while the work surface is a natural Calacatta Vagli Gold marble. The back reception feature is a twelve-foot-tall masterpiece finished with hand sprayed lacquer to match the walls. Curved columns and the matching Calacatta Vagli Gold marble counter and back help bring in the natural Greek and Roman detailing in a modern way.