In late 2011, when B.N. Le, OD, was working in a corporate location, she also began the research to open an independent location one day. The process took one and a half years, when she opened EyeRis Vision in Austin, Texas, in April 2014. She says she’s still surprised by the number of questions she was asked during the process. “I’d get calls from the architect asking me how tall and wide I wanted my desk to be. These are details you never think about,” she says. Dr. Le says that working with an architect is critically important. She did the research and reading and was able to sketch a general design, but the architect fine-tuned it. That meant that there were fewer changes that needed to be made during the construction phase, when changes are costly and can create delays.
Dr. Le says that she spent a great amount of time and effort researching color and emotion. “My sister-in-law is a photographer. She had a book on color combinations and the emotions and feelings that different colors evoke. Orange, for example, is a warmer color that evokes creativity. Black and purple are colors that are associated with luxury,” she says. Using these ideas, Dr. Le designed an office that uses color and texture very intentionally.
“I wanted to evoke a feeling of freshness, so I used a bright green-yellow accent wall. It is bright and positive, making you feel energetic and refreshed. The other walls are a more neutral light gray, and the portal moving from the front of the office to the back is a dark purple, symbolizing luxury, as the patient moves toward a highly personalized exam experience.
