I think that when anyone buys a business, they have in the back of their mind what their “dream business” would be. I remember back in 2007, when I purchased Oakland Vision Center, I had in the back of my mind what my dream practice would be.
Fast forward 8 years and we’ve arrived at that day. The dream. Sure, I still need to make repairs here and add this idea there, but all in all . . . Oakland Vision Center is my dream practice. It’s filled with an amazing, creative group of women that are the staff and the doctors. The interiors are a representation of that.
When decorating Oakland Vision Center, I wanted to create a space that was comfortable for existing patients and different than your typical optometry practice. I decorated the walls with art from Margaret Silverman, Kehinde Wiley, Julie Blackmon and a handful of other local artists. I also love to sew so I made all the pillows (see above) and equipment covers in the lobby and exam rooms.
My inspiration for the interior design and decor is basically our home. If you visited our house, it would feel very similar to the office space . . . well except for the lack of a wine rack, lol. I really love saturated colors because they contrast so well with white and black. I love how wood, concrete counters, stone, fabric and metal look like one cohesive piece of art when put together well. My favorite interior designer, Kelly Wearstler once said that every room has to have an element of whimsy. I kept that advice.
One of my favorite parts of the remodel were the lab doors. Before we had these very plain white shuttered saloon doors. They didn’t offer as much privacy as I liked as well. I found these doors at a salvage yard and my husband cut out a pair of glasses inspired by the Annaliesse sunglass shape by Oliver Peoples. I love the openings since not only do they look great, but I can hand things through the openings for convenience!
For the glasses displays, the inspiration was very simple. I was in Chipotle on Lakeshore Ave. in Oakland, CA for dinner one night. I was waiting in line and behind me was a perforated wall made from simple plywood. It got me thinking . . . and the idea was born. My husband (who was my fiancé at the time) happened to be a carpenter in his previous profession, took my idea and made it reality. Yes, he drilled every hole and his back hurt for days. I had to marry him after that!
Sometimes people come into Oakland Vision Center and they see the plywood walls and think we are still under construction. And in a way we are . . . as I still have a million and one ideas floating around in this tiny brain of mine.
For more photos of our space see our photo gallery.
♡ and ?,
Dr. Tanya Gill
