After 11 years of working in MD/OD practices, Julianne Koch, OD, has finally realized a longtime dream: opening her own practice. Just three months into running Novel Eye Care in Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Koch has brought her love for books and sustainability into every corner of the boutique-style office.
“I’ve always thought about having my own practice,” she says. “After having two kids, I was trying to get my schedule to work in a way that made sense. My husband finally said, ‘You’ve always talked about owning a practice—go for it.’”
With a 3-year-old and a 2-year-old at home, Dr. Koch says flexibility remains a priority. “I wanted more time with my kids, and having my own practice lets me build that in,” she says. The office even has a dedicated room for her children when daycare plans fall through.
A PLAY ON BOOKS
From its name to its design, Novel Eye Care reflects Dr. Koch’s love of reading and creativity. “The name has a double meaning—like a book, or something new,” she says. “The logo shows an eye over the opened pages of a book. I came up with that myself.”
In the optical, a built-in bookshelf doubles as a hidden door. “It’s fun and whimsical, and it gives a nod to the book theme,” she says. Dr. Koch, who started a book club in Nashville six years ago, says integrating her personal passions into her professional space has been rewarding.
IN HER GREEN ERA
The office is decorated in thyme green and gold, colors that hold personal significance for Dr. Koch. “I’m in my green era,” she says. “I used it in my kitchen at home and brought it here because it’s both beautiful and meaningful. Some of the green is about sustainability too—I’ve worked to make the practice paperless and environmentally friendly.”
BUILT FOR GROWTH
Dr. Koch’s 2,400-square-foot office originally housed an ear, nose and throat practice. While it was larger than she initially planned, the built-out space offered four exam lanes and significant cost savings. “I was looking for something much smaller, but this was twice the size and half the cost,” she explains.
She visited the location three times before making the leap. Throughout, the building sat empty as it had for a few years, and the rent kept getting lowered. It was fairly easy to get it ready to serve as an optometry practice.
The office now features one fully equipped exam lane, a pretest room, a lab area and an empty suite she plans to lease to a nurse practitioner. “I’d love to have someone offering Botox, lip fillers or facials,” Dr. Koch says. She also has plans to expand into dry eye care with radiofrequency and maybe eventual intense pulsed light treatments.
On Wednesdays, she works at another MD/OD practice, while a LASIK MD rents out her office for patient consultations and procedures.
A PERSONAL TOUCH
Dr. Koch’s favorite design elements are the details she added herself. “The entryway with tiled floors is one of my favorite things. The tiles are colorful and fun,” she says. Another standout: Gracie, her Welsh terrier, who serves as the office greeter a few days a week. “She’s older and great with people, but if anyone’s nervous, we’ll put her in a room.”
Now that the work of running an independent practice is underway, Dr. Koch says she’s enjoying the slow but steady ramp-up. “Every month has been better than the one before,” she says. “As a standalone building, it’s not a place people stumble upon. But it’s a lot of word-of-mouth and people finding us online. It’s rewarding to see it grow.”
For Dr. Koch, opening Novel Eye Care has been a way to create not just a practice, but a life that balances work, family and personal passion. “Even though I’m working full-time again, the admin work is freeing in a way because I’m doing it for myself,” she says. “It’s a new chapter, and I couldn’t be happier turning the page.”
Connect with Dr. Koch and Novel Eye Care online:
Website: Novel Eye Care
Instagram: @noveleyecare
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