The Acupuncture Clinic Part III

Today's post is a continuation of this one and this one- on Julia's acupuncture clinic. Today I wanted to go over the wall decor in the waiting room. I was thinking about something like my rough sketch below. I would add some dimension to the wall by building out a 30 inch band around- having it extend from the front door to the door to the hall- along all three walls.

I would wrap the band in a grasscloth or burlap. Then I would hang on it some photography. (You would have to build a support underneath the burlap to hang pictures on.) I like Kurt Schaffer- whose pictures I have below. I liked the idea of having white flowers primarily- but a mixture would be needed to fill the area.

I would get the photographs printed on canvas and wrapped. I would order them in all different sizes- starting with the large 36 x 48- but then going smaller. Use a nice mix of different sizes.

Can you picture it? The art that you had selected was nice, but not enough for a large area like you have. There needs to be more interest in a waiting room type situation.

Peonies are my favorite... At then end of your hall- that is the perfect place for a wall fountain.

For the furniture- my first instinct went to items that would far surpass your budget- but then I found this vinyl chair at Scandinavian Design. I like the crisp white, and dark wood. I would use your dark wood reception desk.

On your walls I would use this Mica Chip wallcovering. I also liked it in a light blue. This would be your element of the unexpected. It brings in nature, but also has a contemporary edge to it.

For your flooring, I would do a fusion bamboo- like this one from Green Wood. The high contrast in your room, dark colors mixed with the white will be a sharp modern feel.

I liked your idea of the darker walls in the treatment rooms. I would add the large bamboo wall decor at the top of the post in the rooms. It is from Padma's Plantation.

If you have any money left when you are done with this... I would add a large rectangular concrete or metal planter to the center of the waiting room and plant some zebra bamboo...

Good luck with your new location!

Thank you,

Christine

The Acupuncture Clinic Lighting

Today's post is a continuation of this one- on Julia's acupuncture clinic. I wanted to start with the lighting that Julia was considering:

This light is 10 x 30. That is absolutely too small to be in your waiting room. A light that is only 10 inches wide would be a good size over a table that was about 42 inches wide. It could not possibly have a good scale relationship with a room that is over ten feet wide. This light is 21 inches in diameter. Ditto from above- way too small. Unless you have a ceiling higher than nine feet, I would not use a hanging light in your waiting room.

I would use cove lighting, as shown below- (with a less traditional- more contemporary straight line). I would also have recessed lighting, as shown below- the combination is a good effect. If your ceiling is higher than I think it is, let me know and I will give you ideas for hanging lights.

I love your idea for sconces down the hall. They are not adequate overall lighting for a setting like yours- so you will have to combine that with recessed lights, and you could add cove lighting in your hall if you wish as well. I love the light below- it is from Padma's Plantation- it is 24 x 24. I also like your idea of having a lit focal point at the end of your hallway. I have to run now- the kids need breakfast- but I will finish up later.

Thanks,

Christine

To Feng Shui or not to Feng Shui

Hi Christine,

First of all, congratulations on a fantastic blog. I stumbled across it while looking for interior design advice, and you really give some wonderful suggestions. So I thought I'd ask you for your expertise. Thank you so, so, so much in advance! I run an acupuncture clinic in the DC area, and we are relocating to a bigger and nicer space. Our clientele is about 60% women / 40% men, educated professionals, ages 35-55. They're people who read the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. I want to create a space that is upscale, comfortable, and welcoming, and that walks a fine line between medical clinic and spa. An Asian theme would be appropriate as well, although I don't want to go overboard and end up looking kitsch. Our landlord is covering the space renovation, but we're paying for furniture and decor; ideally I'd like to spend around $10,000. I'm attaching a layout of the space. Here are my questions: 1) For the reception area, I was thinking of hanging three or four pendant lights behind the desk. Is that a good idea? Also, what kind of reception desk do you suggest we use? I've found a couple that I like (http://www.enetfurniture.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=3107# and http://www.enetfurniture.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=3481), but would like to get your input. 2) The waiting area - I've found these amazing wall panels that I love and have to use: http://acaciacatalog.com/lotus-leaf-wall-panels/p/51508/. But I'm completely unsure about the rest. I'm having trouble choosing a wall color, sofa, chairs, rug, etc. I also think a big pendant lamp or chandelier in the middle of the waiting area would look nice, but don't know which one to choose. What do you think of http://www.inmod.com/nova-kimura-large-pendant.html and http://www.lampsbeautiful.com/MFF2081-3GBZ.html? One idea I had was to place the seating in an L-shape with ceiling-to-floor drapes behind them in a neutral color, and the lotus leaf panels on the opposite wall (the long wall) so you can look at them while sitting. Would that be a good idea? 3) The hallway - I want to do some kind of dramatic entrance from the waiting area to the hallway. Maybe sliding shoji screen doors, or an arch? Any suggestions? And at the end of the hallway, I planned for a little lighted nook in the wall that can hold a vase or some flowers. But I'm not sure how to light the hallway - ceiling lights? wall scones? both? Also, should we paint the hallway a dark or light color? Should the doors be the same color as the walls, or a contrasting color? Any suggestions for adding texture to the walls? I know, so many questions! 4) Finally, I want the treatment rooms to feel cozy but not suffocating. I was thinking of doing them a darker color, like a chocolate brown or a dark sage green. Is that too much for a small room? Should I choose a pale color instead? If you've read through all this, you are truly a saint. Thank you so much for any help or advice you can give, and have a great day.

Julia

P.S. I read somewhere on your blog about "grasscloth wall covering" and googled it - it's beautiful! How would you suggest incorporating that into our design?--

Julia

Hi Julia,

I have been giving your place a lot of thought. I thought, what would be more appropriate for an acupuncture clinic than using a feng shui approach to the decorating?

I was reading over some of the "trouble areas" - and had to laugh...

First- you have a couple of "poison arrows". This is where the outside corner of your rooms points toward a place where you spend time. You have two of these "Poison Arrows"- coming off of your entrance to the hall- one is pointed toward the entrance... (that's not good feng shui)- and the other is pointed toward your waiting room... (that couldn't be worse feng shui!) The solution for such a situation is hanging crystals to counteract the bad flow of chi. Crystals were not exactly what I had in mind for your place... I think I would go with your idea of a shoji screen doorway- creating a more flat wall- eliminating the sharp corners.

Secondly- long hallways with lots of doors have bad chi. A good hallway would have "happy places to linger." So, "what" do you say, "is the solution?" A crystal. How do you think we can incorporate crystals into your hallway????

Third, with good feng shui, you should never have a door open to a bed or a desk. I don't know if you can prevent that in your treatment rooms, but your entrance and reception desk locations are automatically bad feng shui. However- again there is a solution- you can hang a crystal from the ceiling between the entry door and the reception desk....

There are five basic elements in feng shui- water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. These elements need to be in your room, in that order to have a good creative cycle feng shui. The order is important- as wood fuels fire (that's good)- but water destroys fire (that's bad feng shui)- however- water helps wood... see the difference between the creative and the destructive?

So- anyway- Julia, I am thinking we ignore the feng shui problem areas- what do you think? Since it was my idea- I figured you wouldn't mind. :) Really solving them nicely would mean gutting the entire place. I've determined that feng shui needs to start with the architect- not the designer. Otherwise we are going to have a lot of crystal chandeliers in your acupuncture studio. However- I will make an effort to incorporate the elements of feng shui into the design.

Come back in the next couple of days and I will show you what I have in mind.

Thanks,
Christine

PS- I don't mean to make fun of feng shui- I know it is like a religion to some- I just thought it was funny how bad the feng shui was in her layout- you know- she has poison arrows shooting right at everyone that enters the place and those waiting in the waiting room, and then they walk down a a hallway filled with bad chi to lay on a bed that hopefully is not facing the door... And yes- as a design professional- I do think it would look odd to have a bunch of crystals hanging around... I did wonder how the Swarovski store in the mall stayed in business- maybe a lot of people are struggling with some bad chi.

Eres muy guapo!

Last weekend I went to Tahoe with some girlfriends for a few days. One of the nights we were there, we went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, Caliente. After an hour and a half, and quite a few diet coke re-fills, a couple of us took a little trip to the restroom. Check out these great murals we found on the walls.

Yes, there, right above the stalls, were these suerte hombres looking down on us. Needless to say they mad us laugh.

Check out the angle of his neck- he really is looking down on us- with that smile... ! Funny huh?

As a side note, I really liked their custom concrete sink...

Cool trough huh?

Anyway- after seeing the girl's bathroom, we were, naturally curious as to what the men's bathroom looked like, so- we courteously knocked on the door, and then... Checked it out. Camera in hand, of course.

OK- don't you love the cleavage-filled ladies looking down??? I find this quite creative, because, as an interior designer, I just don't think I would have thought of such a wall treatment.

And here are the topless ladies with the Tequila.

Cheers! What do you think? Seriously- do you love it, or hate it, or probably wouldn't have noticed it? Do you have a favorite? The man with the horse? The topless ladies? Cast your vote in the comment section.

Quiz Answers- The Zermatt Resort and Spa

To everyone that participated in the quiz yesterday, good job! You are all correct. There wasn't a wrong answer in the batch! I wanted to share my "big three" that really bugged me the most.

1. Those short curtains. Short curtains are a way of saying, "I couldn't afford the long ones."- well, that being the case- have none at all. To me, these are like high water pants. There is a reason we think Mr. Bean is gross. When there is some good reason why curtains cannot go to the floor- you simply do a different window treatment.
2. OK- where do I start with this mirror? First of all- it is not centered. I think I know why- it is a substantial mirror- I am sure it needed a stud to hang it on- and the stud was probably not in the middle of the sofa. This is something for all of us to consider when selecting very heavy items- especially round ones. There are ways to get around it with rectangular items. Secondly- even if the mirror was centered- I still don't think it is a good solution for that wall. It should have a relationship with the sofa. It doesn't. If two sconces were added, one on either side- the shape relationship would be much better. To make it easier- a rectangular frame should have been chosen.
3. Now for this wall. This piece of art seems out of place to me in style. The rest of the place had a transitional lodgey feel to it, and this ornate frame is far too formal. But that is not even the worst part of it. What is up with the relationship here? That chair is too small, and should be not only larger, but also brought into the room more, on an angle- and then the wall art would be much better in a vertical orientation, and more casual style- giving it a better relationship with the wall . When selecting art for a wall- look at the wall itself- it is almost too obvious to say- but if it is a more vertical shape- go vertical- a more horizontal shape- go horizontal. I see horizontal pieces on vertical walls frequently- I think sometimes people select thier wall decor because they like it- or it is on sale- not necessarily because it is the best solution for the room. Is this an "always" rule?- No- but it would look much better in this room.

If someone from the resort is reading- and you don't want to spend any money- just changing places with the mirror and the art would be a great improvement. The Zermatt Resort is a nice place- and the service was great- I would suggest it to anyone- really. Just pack a drill and switch places with the mirror and wall art when you go.