After 2 years in the CBD office, we are finally bidding the beautiful Nicholas Building farewell. I'd like to thank Danny from the bottom of my heart for sharing his space with me on Fridays, and having shown me only the biggest kindness throughout that time (even when I accidentally broke his artwork frame :( )
Anyway, the reason why we stopped renting the CBD space was because our old head tenant at the Moorabbin location was moving and we took over the space and revamped it! Check out these Before-After photos and let us know what you think!
I think our staff kitchen now looks 20 years younger.
Our purpose built rooms are now every bit I envisioned them and so much more. Psychologist's consultation rooms do not have to look clinical to appear professional, in my humble opinion. Everything in my therapy room is what I wanted for my clients, from the flexible seating options (comfy, soft couch, or swinging egg chair, Pilates ball, bean bag, and floor Mellow Mat) to the interactive, sensory-friendly decor (e.g., calming colour scheme, Macrame decor hung at a child's height, so they can touch it) and soft, warm lighting. Close to where I sit is the drinks station I set up with a premium range of coffee and tea options, plus sparkling water, plenty of choices to help me clients of a range of sensory needs feel more comfortable in session. One of the parents said it's like a cafe and she's not wrong! Our reception area is also finally done, after our desk hutch we bought went missing and we made one.
I spent a solid 6 weeks planning and making the things I wanted at the practice before renovations even started. And many of my clients would have heard about the story of how I thought I could finish the actual works within 2 whole days because of how meticulously I planned beforehand. Turns out I'm a very difficult customer and if something did not fit my vision, I just redid it. Took about 5 weeks' worth of days off to complete the whole space in the end (though I sort of gave up on scrubbing paint that dripped on the carpet half way through, so your might still see that). Anyway, if you are interested in some of the "behind-the-scenes" photos of the makings of the space, feel free to read on!
Really wanted to add a piece that really says something about who I am as a person at the practice, so I chose to make the staff room table. Upcycled an old bed headboard I found, cleaned it up, painted and poured resin to fill the gap. I learnt resin is truly a nightmare to deal with, but how satisfying is the end result!
And how beautiful is the finished space?? The macrame piece is by an artist in Geelong.
How lucky was I to have found those handles for our tea serving tray? They're absolutely perfect for the look.
I could probably publish a book called "I-Could-Make-That - The Lesson I'll Never Learn". It's always harder than it looks.
Now, the original design pitch in my head was to make a "professional, serious looking" card holder, and ended up making this using a little log I collected when a friend fell a tree (I do have a reputation for collecting weird things people throw out), which I loved so much, but I have to admit, I had to ask a colleague whether he thought it was good weird or bad weird. I'm so glad I went ahead with using it because how awesome is it next to our sunflowers at the reception?? Bees are so important.
Instead of magazines in the waiting room, I decided to take inspiration from Street Library and make a Wellness Library, where any staff and visitors can leave behind a book they love and can take home/share any books that interest them on the shelves. There are so many new books now!
I hope you enjoyed the little sneak peak into how the space was put together. And most of all, I hope you will enjoy the space.
