Show Notes

Kayla: Welcome back to the Designer Practice Podcast and I’m your host Kayla Das.

In today’s episode, Carolyn Boldt, Vice President and Director of Design of Crossfields Interiors and Architecture, will discuss the process of setting up a new office space.

Hi, Carolyn. Welcome back to the show. It’s so great to have you here again.

Carolyn: Kayla, thanks for having me back. It was so fun the first time looking forward to it

Kayla: For any listener who hasn’t heard of your previous episode. I definitely recommend going back and listening to Episode 94. It was in December, and it discussed why practice office design matters. And now today, we’re going to take it a step further, and we’re actually going to talk about the specifics of the process of opening a new office space, or even redesigning an existing office space.

So just in case any listener didn’t get a chance to listen to the previous episode, please introduce yourself, where you’re from and tell us a little bit about what you do.

Carolyn: I’d love to. So, as you said, my name is Carolyn Boldt and I’m the co-founder of a company named Crossfields. We’re an interior and architecture firm. We work virtually with holistic doctors all over North America and actually the world, and our focus is to help elevate their practice.

Kayla: Now, just as a quick refresher, from our episode in December, why does office design matter when opening a private practice?

Carolyn: As we talked about in December, it is the package of your product. So when someone walks into your office, they’re going to have an emotional and physical experience that you have the choice to make intentional to match up with who you are, and that will attract and retain patients. And then we also talked about it needs to function or it’s going to cost you money.

Kayla and nobody wants money going out the door.

Carolyn: No, we don’t. We want it coming in. So, it does both. We say it patches the bathtub holes and it turns on the faucet.

Kayla: And in order to improve client experience and retention, what is the best process for setting up a new office space?

Carolyn: So, what we’ve done is we’ve taken this process that can be overwhelming and very complicated and turned it into six very clear steps.

So, step number one is, we call it discover, and it is determining what you need, meaning square footage wise, meaning the flow of your office, and the aesthetic environment you’re going to have for your office to match up with your brand. You’re going to want to do that before you ever do anything else, before you look for space, before you do anything. So, it’s getting very, very clear on what it is that you need to make the money that you want to make both functionally and aesthetically, and you want to do that before you ever go look for space.

Then the 2nd step would be that you actually go look for space. So, now that you’re clear on it, you understand the reticular activating mechanism. It helps you find that space faster and easier. It also gives you the ability to connect with a broker and they know the clarity that you have. It also helps you financially. It should be part of your business plan to know what you’re trying to do, especially if you’re open up from scratch or if you’re in a space of expansion, etc. So, step number one, I just talked about you look for space. Step number two, when you find space that matches up with the criteria, then you will go through a due diligence process to determine if that space is going to function for you, and it’s going to do everything. You can’t just look at it and know you need to start to work with it.

So, we go through step number 2, what would be known in our world is space planning and then schematic design. So, what that means is we’re laying out the space. And then once we understand that that space is going to work, then we create that 3-dimensional vision for that space. It is not a full set of construction drawings. It’s not a full set of anything. It is purely a starting document. But from that, you should be able to get a good budget of what it’s going to take to turn that space into what you have, whether it’s a minor remodel or it’s start from scratch. So that’s step number two.  And what I’m saying also can be overlaid with someone that’s looking at a remodeling their existing office, because you’re still got to figure out what it is you want. And then you’ve got to start working out the foundational plan of what that’s going to be. So, it’s a rough plan. Then you know your pricing, you know you can move forward.

The next step three and four get into more what we know in our industry is construction drawings. So, step three, we focus very much on what we would call the architecture part, the walls, the ceiling, the doors, the lights, etc.

Then step number four is more of what you would know as interior elements. So, it’s the finishes, the design of the millwork and the front desk and picking the faucets and all of those things that you would think about. The reason that we separate them is because if anything is going to be what we call value engineered out, or price reduced, it’s going to be things that have to do with the finishes. You’re not going to reduce rooms. You’re going to reduce the wall covering on the wall. Do you know what I’m saying? To help you save money.

So that’s why we like to do pricing at the end of step three. You can actually get a bid from step three. And you should be able to do that working with any architecture firm, is be able to get something that would give you a really strong price. Remember step two is soft because you just have a plan. Step three, you have more information so you get a more qualified price.

Step number four is where you put all the pretty finishes on it and you pick out the lights and all the things that you’ve already decided in step one. So step one, you’ve already set your vision and it just carries all the way through. That’s why step one is so foundationally important.

Then step number five is taking that documentation and turning it into what we call permit drawings. So, permit drawings and construction drawings are not the same thing. They often are combined, but the permit drawings are what the municipality needs to know to make sure you’re safe, to make sure you meet code, to make sure you follow the accessibility guidelines, and all of those things. They don’t need to know the wall covering on the wall. They don’t need to know how you’re going to lay out the light fixtures above. They just need to know that everything is meeting their standards. A set of construction drawings can be pretty simple and then you have to decide everything in the field. Or it can be what we do is thoroughly think through every single layer of what’s going to happen. And the goal there is that when it starts being built, you as the practitioner are not being pulled away on a regular basis to know what decisions are made. Because when we do it together, the decisions compound each other. They impact each other. When you’re doing it in the field. It’s hard to see it that way, if you follow what I’m saying. So, when we go through those steps, that’s how we go through them.

Then step number six is overseeing the construction, because once the construction starts, there is going to be questions, there’s going to be some things, much less than there would be if everything wasn’t picked, but it’ll be something that having another set of eyes that we would come in as a set of eyes and make sure that what the contractor is doing matches what the drawings are, because those drawings are– in our industry we call them construction drawings, but they used to be called contract documents. So, if things are not built like that drawing says, that’s your contract with your builder. So that’s the whole process. Does that help?

Kayla: That makes complete sense. And you mentioned earlier about aesthetics versus function. First of all, what do you mean by that? But second of all, in what stage would be categorized under each? Like which stage would be focusing more on the function? Which stages focusing more on the aesthetics?

Carolyn: Well, they all. They focus both on form and function. All of them do. But we always remember that function has to come first, but we think of it cohesively. It’s holistically together. You don’t make it function and then make it pretty. The prettiness comes from how it functions. Okay, so that’s hard to explain, but the function starts right off in the bat and figuring out your square footage and how you’re going to flow. That’s in step one. And then you start to lay that out in step two. And then you further do it three dimensionally in step three. And then in step four, it’s kind of finalizing all the finishes so they never are separated, but there’s a process of going through it little piece at a time. You’re building on the whole idea.

Kayla: And I think that’s really important that you’re highlighting that because I think sometimes, we look at how can we make the space as pretty as possible, but not always taking in the function aspect of it. And sometimes maybe it’s the other way around as well. Sometimes we’re thinking about how can I make this so functional, but then it doesn’t look very good. And then as a result, we’re like sacrificing that aesthetics piece. So I love that you’re highlighting that really it goes throughout the entire process. Yeah. There might be a certain step that focuses on it a little more, but for the most part they go hand in hand throughout the process.

Carolyn: They do and one of the things I just want your listeners to understand is that interior design and architecture is not a luxury. So let me just speak to that a minute because I’ve had practitioners say, “Oh, I can’t do that. It’s a luxury.” In business. Laying out your website and designing your website and having a quality person do your website and know that it’s going to work. It’s going to function. It’s going to flow. People are going to have a good user experience. People are going to see it and be attracted to it when they compare you against the next person. It’s accepted in website design. It translates and it has way before we ever had website into the office design. So large corporations already know this. Hospitality and retail, they already know that.

But part of my message is to help small practitioner understand that it should be a piece of your business plan to make sure that all of that is put together. The other thing I want to say is quality interior design does not have to be expensive. It could be just how you use paint. We talk about paint and lighting. Those two will make the biggest impact because light level has a lot to do with how you feel in the space. Your energy goes up the brighter it is, your energy lowers the darker it is, that’s just a natural psychology. It’s probably biology too.

But with all of that, there’s just using lighting purposefully and not having that big old wash of light that you get in a retail strip center can make a big difference. And then using color, and not necessarily a color palette, but just it could be tones of neutral, but using the contrast, using that visual, where you create some differences in depth and stuff with paint is the most inexpensive thing you can do. So, it doesn’t have to be expensive. It just needs to be thought through and intentional.

Kayla: I love those tips because I do watch HGTV a lot. And you know, I do not have a knack for design. Like I do not. But I mean, even if we just think of certain colors, I know whenever I see in any house, the color red, it makes me angry. And from color psychology, red is an angry color, right? Whereas a light blue makes you feel a little bit more calm. So, when we think of how do you want your clients to feel.

And you mentioned website, right? It’s like if you had a website, you would have a certain color scheme or font colors that you would want your visitors to be able to feel the experience. Your space, would be the same. You would not want red if you do not want to make everybody angry when they come in to your therapy session with you.

Carolyn: Exactly. Exactly. There is a place for red, if you want to create a lot of energy. So, if you were doing, I don’t know. What would your practitioners be doing that they need to create a lot of energy in their space?

Kayla: Well, something that’s coming to my mind is gymnasiums for sports, right? You see a lot of red.

Carolyn: Yes, red and yellow. Red and yellow create energy. And so they create memories. They do things of that sort. But they need to be very purposely used. And yes, you’re right. You want to just be careful, but there is so much psychology of color. I mean, I could spend hours just talking on the psychology of color. But you are right. I guess when I talk about the psychology of color to, I teach a lot of students that are getting out and are going to be practicing, just the color wheel itself, which we learned in kindergarten, there’s warm colors and there’s cool colors. And that really is true. You actually. can feel different with the cool colors. And most healthcare tends to go with cooler colors. They want to keep the calmness and that’s the blues and the greens.

And the other thing we really didn’t talk about the last time, but we can talk about it here for a second, since we’re talking about color is that, yes, it’s your first impression. Yes, you want people to have a culture of how they’re going to feel. But the design of your office should support the healing that you’re doing in your space. And so, if you’re healing, I’m just going to use the gym and say your physical therapists that work with athletes and everything. Their healing is energetic work. So, they want the space to support that energetic work. Where other ones, let’s just go to the extreme and you’re doing massage or acupuncture or something, where you want to create that calming environment. Or you’re working with patients with PTSD, you want to create a very calm environment to support them.

And so, it’s designing the space well brings all of those things into consideration. Who’s your ideal patient? What kind of practice do you have? How you want to show up as a practitioner and what’s your brand? All of those things come into place when we design the aesthetics of a space.

Kayla: Amazing. Do you have any additional advice, tips, insights, steps, anything that can help listeners who want to set up a new office space or maybe even just reorganize or redesign their current space?

Carolyn: So, what we tell our clients to give us, and so I tell the students start doing it also, is start gathering pictures. So yes, there’s the goal setting image board, we’re not really talking that, although it could be. What we’re talking about, if you say I want a professional looking office environment, then find pictures that represent that word to you because that picture is going to be worth a thousand words because what’s professional to you might be not professional to someone else. The word professional is so generic. So, pictures really, really help cue in on that vision that you have or that impression that you have. So we say start gathering pictures. It’s very natural to think about doing that when you’re having a home or something, but it’s the same way with the business.

And then also really getting clear on what you specifically need functionally in your office. And what we have our practitioners do is actually we do a minimum and maximum in a spreadsheet, it’s just square footage numbers. Because you need to know when you go to look for space, let’s just say what your minimum was 1000 square feet and your maximum was 1500 square feet. Well, you need to know when you find the perfect space and it’s under 1000, you’re not going to be able to function in it. Or if you find the perfect space and it’s 1000 you know, that that’s the model that you can work in because the difference between the 1000 and the 1500 might be an extra treatment room or exam room or any kind of option that you would have. So you want to make sure that your square footage also makes you money. So that’s the other piece of it. So you go into it knowing that all that square footage is going to create some kind of revenue for you.

Kayla: I love that. Carolyn, I know you have a free resource that you’d like to share listeners. Can you tell us a little bit about what it is and how it can help them?

Carolyn: I’d love to. So, when we started this, we were doing corporate design and we had the opportunity to start working with practitioners and smaller offices and realized right away that because they were practitioners and they weren’t trained facility people and these large corporations, they really were, didn’t understand what they needed to be doing. So, we call the five biggest mistake practitioners make when opening an office and how to avoid them.

Kayla: Amazing. So, if you want to sign up for Carolyn’s freebie, 5 Biggest Mistakes Practitioners Make When Opening an Office, check out kayladas.com/carolynboldtfreebie.

That’s kayladas.com/carolynboldtfreebie

or simply scroll down to the show notes and click on the link.

Carolyn, thank you so much for joining us today on the podcast to discuss the process of setting up a new office space.

Carolyn: Well, I hope it was helpful to your listeners and thank you for having me.

Kayla: Thank you everyone for tuning into today’s episode and I hope you join me again soon on the Designer Practice Podcast.

Until next time. Bye for now.

Credits & Disclaimers

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