New Pediatrician!

To be honest what made me recently switch who Snarkles is seeing was 5% doctor/patient interaction and 95% the office environment!

No space should be so unwelcoming from the entrance, so overwhelming with colors, patterns, and things, or have little to no natural light and fresh air as that pediatric office we went to for the first two months.

I'm going to preach this, because it's what I do for a living.

The built environment, the spaces you spend your time in, should make you happy and inspired. They should meet some very basic criteria:

1. Natural light, daylight.

2. Fresh Air.

3. Spacious (different than wasteful space).

4. Clean

5. Energizing*

6. Modern and updated*

Allow me to elaborate...

Natural light is PROVEN to increase the health in patients and not only that but it's proven to increase positive moods and productivity. It also increases the perceived size of the room/space. For me, natural light is at the essence of good design.

Fresh air has become monitored in buildings after more than a decade ago there was the "Sick Building Syndrome" where staff and occupants within buildings that were not adequately ventilated became seriously ill. We all know mold is dangerous to our health and lack of proper air movement passes disease and sickness, so within a health care facility, of all places, having fresh moving air is so immensely important.

I say spacious but not wasted space because the way we use our space can make it 1,000 times more efficient for us or 1,000 more troublesome to manage. In our previous pediatric office, space was at a high premium. If there was any, it was likely taken up by a giant chunk of toy and all wall space was littered with flyers and notes. OH MAN, just thinking back makes my anxiety level rise a little! The hallways were narrow, the patient rooms were ITTY BITTY with only one adult seat and one toddler chair (um, hello, dad AND mom would like to sit down). I need to stop or these thoughts will have me shaking in a second. Our new office, is a total 180 degrees away from that place I just described!

Clean, well...I shouldn't have to elaborate on clean except to say that clean goes beyond bleach and hand sanitizer. Clean is also a feeling, a perception, of the space.

All good design should be energizing. It should feel inspiring and uplifting. The opposite of this is closed in, cluttered, and overwhelming. If your space makes you feel any of those three...CHANGE IT IMMEDIATELY. It's not just about the wall color or art work, although those are important aspects to energizing, but it's about movement around the space, the flow of objects, and the location of doors and furniture. Let's just say...I felt beat down just by entering our last pediatric office. The new one...sang choruses of Hallelujah as soon as I walked in!

And last, BUT certainly not least...modern and updated. Keeping up with technology not only shows that the office is proactive, it shows that they are willing to learn new stuff. I equate this to how they will treat my child as a patient. Having a "modern" space simply expresses my personal design style and like I said...if you don't like the space you're in, CHANGE IT. so I did, I went from 1986 geometric patterned floor carpet with confetti accents and a thousand toys space to a 2010 dark "wood" floored, bench seats and simple large graphic art (bring your own toy, toddler)space.


The difference (in all of the above) meant that this Mom didn't pass out and ENJOYED taking her child to get the best health care of her little bitty life.



*Optional, but my preference!