The COVID pandemic has driven a substantial boom in pet ownership, with 69% of all households now owning a pet. This is compared to 61% pre-pandemic*. All of these new pets mean an increased need for veterinary services.
To meet this demand, we are seeing more veterinary clinics built in inner city areas, and a growing number of existing practices expanded to meet increased demand.
We take a look at two vet clinic design and fitout projects completed by Elite Fitout over the past twelve months to cater for this surge in pet ownership.
Bundaberg South Vet Extension
Elite Fitout was engaged seven years ago to design and build the original 191sqm Bundaberg South Vet practice. Prior to the construction of the clinic, the vet practice was operating as a mobile service. This mobile service still continues as part of the business today.
Fast forward to 2021 and Elite was engaged again to expand the footprint of the practice into the tenancy next door. The expansion was primarily driven by the practice’s desire to meet the increasing demand for veterinary services by cat owners.
To allow the vet clinic to continue operating during building works, the extension was completed as a staged project:
Stage 1 of Extension Project
The first stage of the project involved the demolition, fitout, and integration of the adjacent tenancy into the existing practice. This refurbishment increased the overall size of the vet clinic. The extra space has allowed Bundaberg South Vet to add three more consult rooms. One of these new consult rooms is designated specifically for cats. There is also a cat ISO area, and a dedicated cat treatment room.
The extension also includes a new cat boarding room which features “cat condos” for comfortable overnight stays.
Stage 2 of Extension Project
In the second stage of the project, some sections of the existing practice were reconfigured. This created a separate area for treating dogs that was distinctly separate from the cat area. This included the construction of a new dog ward, dog grooming, dental and dog ISO.
The pharmacy, staff room and breakout area were relocated into the new extension. This freed up a significant amount of space in the original clinic tenancy. This also provided room for another surgery, larger sterilisation/lab area, new dental treatment area, and a bigger laundry.
The existing treatment room was also modified to create a more efficient operating environment that provides greater visibility to many areas of the practice.
This was the second time using Elite and they have not disappointed. They have created for us a beautiful clinic that we love and are very proud of.
We will forever be grateful to the Elite team for indulging our ideas, mapping them out on paper and bringing them to reality. We highly recommend these guys. They will make your dreams come true.
Dr Rutendo Mukandi – Co-owner, Bundaberg South Vet
PetKind Vet Clinic Fitout
The PetKind Veterinary Wellness Boutique concept was created by owner and veterinarian Remona Horn. Remona is a native of South Africa who has now made her home in the inner-city suburb of Paddington, Queensland. Located just two kilometres from the Brisbane CBD, Paddington is a popular neighbourhood with young professional couples and higher-income families – plenty of whom purchased pets during the early stages of the COVID pandemic. Remona found that there was no vet in Paddington and quickly began planning to open her own clinic to remedy that situation.
PetKind owner Remona knew exactly what she wanted to achieve with her vet boutique concept. Her vision for the new business was to specialise in vaccinations, pet grooming and veterinary care for cats and dogs – but to have the clinic look like a boutique store.
The Elite team worked closely with Remona to create her boutique vet business, designing the space to include two consult rooms, sterilisation area, treatment, surgery, grooming, pharmacy/lab and a laundry. Elite Fitout delivered the fitout and layout design, with the branding and interior finishes completed by Superhero Company.
Project Challenges
During the design stage, the Elite team needed to overcome some challenges due to the small size of the tenancy, a large shopfront and plumbing issues. The issues were resolved with the use of some imaginative wall configurations and drainage redirection. Elite were also able to fully utilise the extensive shopfront to bring abundant natural light into the clinic.
Interior Design
The colours and finishes work together to create a calm, stress-free environment for animals and their owners. The entrance space is welcoming and calming, with the overall look of the clinic more like a high-end retail store rather than a vet.
Five large windows frame the clinic’s frontage, with accent lights, oak coloured flooring, and the natural white wall colour aligning to provide a warm, cosy feeling as you enter the practice.
The separate consult rooms for dogs and cats are appropriately named – Beethoven for dogs and Ferguson for cats.
Wall Features
The wall feature in the foyer of the clinic and in the consult rooms (created by Superhero Company) incorporate the one gold line featured in the logo and signage.
The continuous line from the logo and signage connects the dogs and cats in the consult rooms and the green florals in the foyer.
“Elite made the fitout process smooth. They were easy to communicate with and I would recommend them to any other person interested in taking on this task. If I could go back in time I would 100% use them again.”
Remona Horn – Owner, PetKind Veterinary Wellness Boutique
Contact Us
Elite has delivered many vet clinic fitout projects over the years – big and small – throughout Australia.
Are you planning a new vet clinic or refurbishing your existing practice? View our veterinary fitout gallery for ideas or give us a call on 1300 765 344 to discuss your plans.
*Social research study by Animal Medicines Australia, 2021
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