One of the most rewarding parts of owning a small business is when we get to work with other entrepreneurs who are starting up their own thing. When Dr. Ayla Wilson came to us to build the reception desk for her new clinic in the Gastown district of Vancouver, BC, we were ecstatic to offer her our services! Dr. Wilson is the founder of High Five Family Health. At her clinic, she takes a naturopathic approach to her patients’ health by looking for the root cause of their symptoms before prescribing treatment. In addition to her general practice, she works extensively with children who have special needs such as mood disorders or those with an autistic spectrum disorder.
Five High Family Health opened in December 2017. While renovations for the space were underway, Dr. Wilson tried sourcing for a reception desk online but could not find anything that fit her space, durability needs, or had the hand-made quality she was looking for. Union Wood Co. had been on her radar since we were in our old location in Railtown and we had the honour of hosting her wedding in our current courtyard a year ago. Now that she had a custom furniture need, we were the woodworkers she thought of.
Our favourite thing to do is help our clients along the custom furniture process so that the end result surpasses all of their needs and expectations. With Dr. Wilson, we collaborated on designing a front desk that maximized the available space of the clinic while providing plenty of thoughtful storage (we're geeking out on the dovetail detail on the drawer fronts seen in the pictures above!). The overall vibe of High Five Family Health matches Gastown’s hip style while still making anyone who walks through the front door feel immediately welcomed. To reinforce that impression, we decided on a contemporary geometric layout of naturally stained white oak slates. Building the desk from solid wood gives it a warm aesthetic appeal and makes it durable enough to withstand the extensive use it will see.
Dr. Wilson could not be happier with the quality of the desk and how easy it was to work with us. Those were her words, we promise! Read her Google review here. Hearing that from a client we worked so closely with is everything we work towards!
Visit High Five Family Health’s website to learn more about the services they have to offer. You can also follow them on Instagram - @highfivefamilyhealth. We’d love to hear from you if you have any custom woodworking needs. We’re a friendly crew so don’t hesitate to contact us at the shop!
If you want to scope out more of our custom work, check out the custom furniture we made for TurF – Vancouver’s Latest Addition to the Health and Fitness Community!
WRITTEN BY: Todd Mitchell
PHOTO CREDITS: High Five Family Health Photos - Sean Dalin