Dental practice or health retreat?

You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped into a day spa or a retail outlet for a high-end skincare brand.

But this innovative commercial space is actually an award-winning San Francisco dental office.

The practice, Studio Dental, recently won the 2019 AIA Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture, having reimagined its office in the city’s Tenderloin district with stunning effect.

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The Studio Dental practice in San Francisco has maple monoliths that double as storage spaces.

First and foremost, the office had to function as a dental practice.

Set within an historic building, the space makes strategic use of lighting and mirrors to create an inviting glow that projects through the front window and onto the street, as well as using lantern wall panels to softly light the interior spaces.

But first and foremost the property is a dental office, meaning Montalba Architects’ number one priority had to be the function of the space as a business.

The waiting room bench (right).

Mirrors throughout the property help to add to the lighting and sense of space.

Putting a different spin on the traditional dentist waiting room, at Studio Dental a park-like wooden bench runs the length of the room, while wood trellises separate the bench and procedure rooms.

A stand of maple monoliths provide storage spaces and also indicate the entry to each patient room, while the interior mezzanine was repurposed for additional storage and staff offices.