Dr. Shelina Dhanji’s passion for the sea, children, and her profession as a pediatric dentist, are aptly reflected in her new Ajax, ON office.
In relocating her practice, Dentistry 4 Kids, her goal was to create a cheerful, relaxing environment for all ages that would distract from the high technology of the office. She engaged interior designer Jean Akerman to help accomplish this, and the other items on her priority list: a “Cavity-Free” display of up to three hundred young patients, a means to showcase her prized collection of stuffed animals, and accommodation of a saltwater aquarium.
An oceanic concept was obvious, but the execution of the concept is what makes this new office so delightful for the young, and the young at heart.
Waves abound — from the gentle curves of ceilings, walls and millwork, down to the undulating shelves that hold stuffed toys in the operatories. The requisite aquarium can be enjoyed from both the waiting area and the consultation room.
Appealing to adults, the reception area has a refined atmosphere. Monitors in the front desk bulkhead can operate together or independently, to entertain or educate, and, for fun, a rotating seahorse logo is projected onto the wall behind the desk. Teens and younger children have individual activity areas.
Perhaps most enchanting, are the many smiling faces that peer out from “windows” in the happy, three-dimensional “Cavity-Free Street” that is the treatment corridor. The sky-painted, barrel-vaulted ceiling completes the outdoor scene.
For making her dream office a reality, Dr. Dhanji thanks: Jean Akerman Interior Design; design technician Scott Lyall and sales consultant Lorne Walsh of HenrySchein/Arcona; artists Catherine Gibbs and Linda Cautius; and General Contractor James Wong.
