Community's choice: Office Design

Story by Dr. Alla Gorenbeyn
Photos by Olson Photographic, LLC

Editor's Note: Recently, the PennWell® Dental Group Community site hosted a dental practice makeover contest for its members. There were numerous entries, and one of the entries receiving the most votes was Connecticut's Salem Dental. Below, Dr. Alla Gorenbeyn talks about her practice after receiving the community's special recognition in design.

We encourage you to become a part of our dental community. While online, browse through the forums, blogs, photos, and videos posted by your colleagues. The site's membership count is steadily increasing, and is currently more than 1,900 members.

Membership is free. You can find PennWell's dental community at community.pennwelldentalgroup.com.

I purchased a traditional dental practice in the small town of Salem, Conn. I wanted my practice to be fun, cheerful, and comfortable, and to attract new and younger patients while maintaining the existing patient base. I envisioned a fresh contemporary image for my practice, incorporating bright and attractive dental chair colors and uniquely sculpted glass sink fixtures, all selected from Eurodent, an Italian company.

The sherbet–inspired operatory suites in lemon, lime, and orange, designed by Laura Bordeaux, ASID, an interior designer from FX Design, Inc. in Glastonbury, Conn., accomplished my objective. With these specific choices already made, Laura realized she needed to establish a neutral color that would create a visual bridge between the bright hues of each operatory and the common areas such as the corridors and waiting room. First she selected a dark cherrywood floor to anchor all rooms, then added whites and grays to help the eye rest between colors.

Patients can select from one of three operatory suites for their dental procedure, depending on their mood — lemon to boost spirits, lime to calm nerves, or orange to soothe and warm the body.

As we like to say in the practice, “Pick your operatory flavor!”