5 interior design trends and how to incorporate them at your dental practice

You’ve spent your career creating a dental practice where the priority is the safety and protection of your patients. A pandemic prompted you to find new ways to convey that message in a visually reassuring way.

Is it still possible, during a pandemic, to follow trends and incorporate fresh interior design concepts, too? Yes.

In this article, design expert Sucharita Ray will offer an overview of five current style concepts and share a few ways they can benefit your dental practice. At Benco Dental, Ray is a Design Manager of America’s most innovative dental design team, Benco Dental Design. Here she offers inspiration with Covid-19 in consideration.

1. Technology. Say yes to spotless. Touch-free faucets and doorknobs with antimicrobial finishes will gain a lot of traction this year.
2. Biomimicry. For everyone craving the outdoors and serenity found in natural settings, this answers that need. Greenery will be brought inside, not just in a literal sense, such as house plants, but in patterns of design that create an elemental, organic connection indoors.
   At the dental practice: Choose a wall covering with an organic pattern, or add wood grain flooring that feels warm and welcoming.
3. Personalization and handmade objects. Quiet hobbies and side pursuits begun to occupy time turned into ideal opportunities for self-expression.
   At the dental practice: For a team member willing to share, objects related to wood carving or macramé offer  unique pieces of art. Doctors, this means you, too. From surfboards to musical instruments, decorative items can offer patients a glimpse of your out-of-the office activities. A connection with you and your team as people, as well as healthcare professionals, can have a calming effect for patients who might be anxious about a dental visit.
   Shown, surfboards incorporated in the interior design at the Virginia Beach, Virginia orthodontic practices of Drs. Savage, Sabol and Visser offer a colorful example of this design concept.
4. Maximalism. People seek to surround themselves with happiness when life is bleak. At home this invites lots of layering.
   At the dental practice: With furniture, mix larger pieces with smaller pieces rather than overly structured. When choosing tiles for restrooms, take a chance on a more elaborate design. Vary sizes and positioning of artwork to make a statement.
5. Color. Pantone, the global color authority, selected two independent hues, Ultimate Gray and Illuminating, as the Pantone® Color of the Year selection.
   According to Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, “Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted, this is essential to the human spirit.”
   Also predicted as inspirational backdrops: dark, earthy, leafy greens, and the neutral palette of warm browns, terracotta and buttercreams.
   “Soothing to the eye, these colors are grounding and help provide emotional well being,” said Ray.

Still not sure how these style trends can provide connection, balance and comfort to your patients and team?

For details on how to bring these ideas to life, or additional information about Interior Design, email design@benco.com