Here I am, after several months, still in my little ‘medical cubby house’ while the rich and powerful decide when the re-building can start!
Actually it’s not so bad, if it weren’t for the effect of the colours in here. When I moved in here it was for a ‘few weeks’ and therefore I just gathered a spare desk, chair, bookcase etc and crammed them in so I could function. I thought little, if at all, about the colour scheme as it was such a short time in view.
Now I find I am more and more affected by the darkness of things. I know a little about colour therapy, from a psychological point of view. So I have asked my interior designer, Gail Rust, to source some other furniture. Even if it is only for 3 months, I need relief.
But what do you do with such a small space?? It’s only 2.5m x 2.7m!! And we can still fit in Pap smears, Xray viewing, injection equipment, as well computers and all the usual paraphernalia of a doctor’s desk! The patients are amazed. Even I am amazed.
Getting this sorted for the next 3 months means we will lighten up the atmosphere in here by getting everything to be as light a colour as possible, and yet we have to create a feminine environment, not just white-clinical, and I need people to see a few of my qualifications so they can see what they are spending their money on!
Maybe you think this is Ego, and maybe it is. But there are good reasons for letting people see who and what you are, and providing a welcoming place for them to tell you of their distress. Because, believe me, people do not go to the doctor to tell them how happy they are; initially at least it is all about their distress. So the colours they meet at the door are Very Important.
The most popular colours for Doctors’ surgeries are white and blue; used to be green in the 50s! But white and blue are not happy colours. They are both in the cool spectrum. A little peach-apricot here and there will lift things enormously. A little gold, perhaps? Even if it is only an ornament. It is possible to create a lounge room effect and still be clinically appropriate. And the patients’ reaction is so much more positive. Reassuring, comforting, safe.
Years ago I read about the Luscher Colour Test and it is a treasure trove of info for anyone who is interested! (try http://www.colorquiz.com)
Blessings
Maura
