POUTx
POUTx
POUTx
POUTx
POUTx
POUTx
Injectables clinic POUTx administers treatments designed to pump up and smooth out the physical appearance of its clientele — which means that its downtown Toronto space had to look drop-dead gorgeous. To that end, the team at interior design firm Studio Author embraced a supersaturated, lipstick-
inspired palette and set out to paint the town pink and red — albeit with a base coat of industrial edge. The result is an environment that makes a breathtaking first impression yet doesn’t feel too far removed from reality.
Indeed, many of the 75-square-metre space’s finishes adhere to typical clinic design conventions. Walls and floors are coated in micro cement, while the 5.75-metre-long reception desk is fabricated in stainless steel. Together, these raw, utilitarian elements ground the project in a welcome sense of discipline and material honesty. From there, the fun begins: Large convex mirrors and vertical neon tube fixtures play with perceptions in unexpected ways, encouraging clients to see themselves in a new, more exciting light.
One of the most radical moves that Studio Author made is to subvert its clients’ expectation of privacy by adopting an open-plan layout. Sure enough, the clinic’s two treatment pods (each one outfitted with a patient chair, an overhead surgical light, and a stainless-steel workstation) remain on view through transparent red acrylic panels suspended from the floor and ceiling with a tubular red metal fastening system. This strategy effectively pushes back against the stigma surrounding cosmetic treatments — dispensing with secrecy in favour of loud-and-proud design. Adding another hit of bold style, a glossy, glowing red colonnade installed opposite the front desk creates an area for coat closets and other hidden storage space.
POUTx balances eye-catching visual accents with clear architectural logic and proves that something that looks beautiful on the surface can also possess deeper appeal.
Team: Jayme Million and Alex Simpson (Studio Author); Max Seligman (Carbon Build Group); Peter Ma (Vyvyd Lighting); Hubertus Zagoricnik (Surface Culture); and Bryan Udris (DNS Industries)
Balancing eye-catching visual accents with clear architectural logic, this clinic proves that something that looks beautiful on the surface can also possess deeper appeal.
