THE WHY: Owner’s story
Dr. Karyna Figarella and Romeo Fermin are the husband and wife team behind BiteCraft Dental. Prior to moving to Canada, they were both practising dentists who owned a dental clinic in Venezuela. Approximately 10 years ago, their passion for healthcare and love of people collided with a desire to experience Canada’s beauty and lifestyle. Shortly after settling into Canada with their two children, they decided that Karyna would be the first to obtain her licence to practise dentistry in Ontario. She enjoyed getting re-certified and has had the pleasure of gaining valuable experience as an associate in wonderful high-quality practices with great dental teams. In 2020, the timing seemed right as they both simultaneously felt the spark to begin looking into spaces for opening their dream start-up practice.
THE HOW: Planning & preparation
After months of looking into various spaces, nothing fully checked all their boxes – until one evening when they strangely felt a burning desire to drive by a pre-construction new development lot they had seen in Vaughan. Although the plaza had no building or units to look at, something about this location and surrounding community felt intuitively exciting. Fast forward a few months and they were now both proudly celebrating the space they had just selected. They subsequently put together a new build dream team of experts who collaborated closely and creatively to turn their dreams into a reality. Each expert was seen as a key player and integral part of the overall team. As a result of exceptional close collaborations between the interior designer (which in this month’s feature is the author), the supply company and builder/contractor; the process went remarkably well with very few of the usual surprises and unexpected challenges and delays along the way.
THE RESULTS: Technical design features
The office is designed in a contemporary and modern style that is down-to-earth, yet sophisticated, to appeal to a broad and diverse community. From the outside the space is warm and inviting, with large windows and a visibly beautiful reception lounge. The high-quality dental experience begins the moment one walks into the reception area. The creatively designed background imagery consists of contrasting dark and white tones that create a subtle yet stimulating overall visual appeal. We also strategically placed warm concrete-like features throughout the space then peppered the design with well-placed rich walnut wood-like finishes. Each operatory also features a uniquely designed diagram to function not only as a beautiful aesthetic element, but also to be utilized as an educational tool for the dental team to have important healthcare conversations with their patients.
THE IMPACT: Empowered practice outcomes
As a brand new practice opening their doors in December 2021, they are excited to hold their grand opening event early in the new year. They have carefully recruited and selected the members of their dream team and are now in the process of holding training meetings with various manufacturers to prepare the practice for serving high level patient-care experiences. They also have many exciting and creative marketing initiatives planned for reaching out to local schools as well as for connecting and synergizing with local merchants. They are excited to provide a wonderful place for local residents to call their oral healthcare home.
Interior Designer: Bella Vita Designs Inc. (Darcie Galbraith)
Construction: Canadian Dental Construction
Equipment Specialist: K Dental
Dental Cabinets: MCC Dental
About the Author
Darcie is an interior design coach and project coordinator specializing in the field of dentistry. She is co-founder of Bella Vita Designs Inc. with @peterbarrycoach. Bella Vita is an interior design company specializing in creating beautiful functional spaces in your existing practice as well as creative technical design support for building your new dream practice. Bella Vita Designs also provides dental professionals with a large selection of quality office furniture solutions. To have your proud story and unique office design featured she can be reached at darcie@bellavitadesigns.ca / IG @bellavitadesignsinc / 905-716-8528.
