Incorporating Natural Elements in Your Medical Practice Fitout

Create a positive impact for your patients simply by making different choices in the design of your healthcare clinic environment.

By incorporating natural elements into the design of your medical practice fitout, you can help to reduce your patients’ stress levels and improve their wellbeing, ensuring their visit is a more relaxing and comfortable experience.

In this article, we explore a number of design choices to add nature-inspired elements to your medical practice environment.

Natural Light

We all love natural light and the feeling of openness and brightness it brings. Natural light has been linked by many studies to mental and physical health benefits, including speeding up the healing process. As an added benefit, providing patients with a view outside can help to take their mind off the anxiety associated with an upcoming appointment.

Windows

Where practical, it pays to use plenty of windows to invite natural light into your practice.

To do this, you may choose to use large fixed, sliding, and awning windows, as well as skylights and even internal windows.  Dr Askew’s Weight Loss Solutions specialist clinic on the Sunshine Coast features sizable windows throughout to showcase some beautiful views.

Skylights & Transparent Doors

Skylights invite more natural light into your medical clinic. You could also swap your solid front doors for a transparent one to further maximise the light that enters your reception area.

Images of Nature

If your practice is like many urban businesses, you may not have the luxury of a garden or landscape views through your windows.  However, you can use murals, paintings or photographs of nature on the walls to deliver a similar positive result. Looking at natural images can help calm anxious patients in a similar way to looking at a view outside.

Calming Colours

Your choice of colour for your walls also impacts on the amount of natural light in your practice.  Dark colours absorb light, so look to incorporate earthy or more neutral tones to reflect light.  If you are wanting a pop of colour on your practice walls, lighter shades of green and blue are a good choice.  These popular hues can create a soothing or calming effect.

Grow Medical features a predominantly neutral colour scheme, complemented by timber batten features and splashes of “granny smith” green from their logo. This colour palette is used in the waiting area, hallways and consult rooms, delivering a consistent colour scheme for the entire practice environment.

Flooring

Timber is an obvious choice for natural-looking flooring.  However, it doesn’t need to be the real deal.  Timber-look vinyl flooring provides a natural-look at a cheaper price. Vinyl has the added benefits of easier cleaning and the ability to handle much more wear and tear. Vinyl with a stone or slate pattern could also be alternate choices for a natural look.

The Neighbourhood Medical practice fitout features timber-look vinyl flooring from reception through to the consult rooms. This provides a seamless and natural look throughout the practice.

Greenery

People naturally have an affinity with living things, so a great way to incorporate natural elements in your medical practice fitout is through plants.  There are many ways to add some greener. You could include hardy potted indoor plants in your waiting area or add a green wall feature in your reception space. If that sounds like too much work, you can always choose some realistic-looking quality fake plants. 

Fresh flowers are also a great way to add some living colour into your clinic. Just make sure you replace them often to keep them looking their best.

Learn More

Elite’s in-house architectural design team are available to help turn your plans for your medical practice fitout into reality. Give the team a call on 1300 765 344 or complete the contact form on the Elite website.