Boutique eyecare provider Lumea’s newest location in Toronto is a bold, self-assured statement of the brand’s position in the health and wellness market. Located in The Well—a major new mixed-use development in the city’s urban core—Lumea Toronto questions established perceptions of clinical environments and creates a unique destination for immersive, experience-based treatments and therapies.
At the project’s outset, Reflect Architecture sought to create a unique environment that would express Lumea’s values and stand out in an increasingly crowded health and wellness sector. Notably, Lumea Toronto upends conventional clinic formats, which typically see visitors enter via a lobby or reception area that is separated and disassociated from treatment spaces. Lumea’s interior layout and programming inverts this spatial relationship, foregrounding the technical expertise, equipment, and processes that define the client experience.

The primary procedure room, which houses refractive laser equipment, fronts The Well’s pedestrian concourse and is screened by a sweeping wall of glass blocks. The use of glass—a subtle, abstracted design gesture that plays with concepts of clarity and diffusion—offers an obscured glimpse at the optical equipment within. (Interior curtains can be drawn for total privacy during procedures.)

“Typically, health and wellness clinics have paid little attention to their storefronts. But for Lumea Toronto, we not only considered how we could create an environment that cared for patients inside but would create visual interest along a busy pedestrian concourse,” explains Trevor Wallace, Founder & Principal of Reflect Architecture.

“The challenge with a mixed-use development is that you have limited frontage to play with and few opportunities to stand out,” adds Wallace. “Light emerged as a unique and especially appropriate way of activating the face of a clinic that's dedicated to improving sight. At dusk, the procedure room is lit from within, and it transforms into this glowing glass volume that pedestrians can see.”
Inside Lumea Toronto, clients are greeted by a reception area adjacent to the primary treatment space. A corridor stretches beyond, framed by undulating wall of glass blocks, a wooden slat canopy, and a lush interior garden. This corridor acts as a zone of compression and transition for visitors before expanding into a loft-like lounge that is washed in natural light thanks to a flanking exposure.

The lounge is a quiet place of respite from The Well’s pedestrian thoroughfares. Visitors to Lumea are always meant to feel welcomed, supported, and protected in a comfortable, peaceful environment. Glass and concrete surfaces are balanced with warm wood tones and plants that introduce organic, natural elements to the client journey. This immersive, environmental treatment is a key tenet of Lumea’s approach to patient care and recovery.
Privacy was an especially critical design and operational consideration. Visual and acoustic separation from front-of-house spaces, achieved in part by a felt ceiling system, allows for peaceful meditation, contemplation, and recovery in the moments immediately preceding or following a procedure. Colourful glass Lambert & Fils Sainte pendant lights define the central seating area, where upholstered lounge chairs with high backs and oversized curves offer a comforting and containing embrace. Neutral-toned curtains can divide the space between client and staff functions as needed. 

“Throughout the design process, we challenged ourselves to continually rethink why clinics are designed the way they are; we tried to resist convention at every turn,” says Wallace. “The resulting environment is simultaneously functional and experiential, and a unique expression of our client’s brand, values, and place in the market.”

Team:

Architects: Reflect Architecture

General Contractor: Ripple Projects

Photographer: Doublespace Photography

Materials Used:

Feature wall:   Argus Parallel & Clarity, Seves Glass Block
Flooring A:   Noraplan Sentica, Nora
Flooring B:   Wassail Euro Oak, Moncer Flooring
Flooring C:   Gentle Stone Porcelain Tile, Stone Tile
Interior lighting A:  Sainte Atelier 23, Lambert & Fils
Interior lighting B:  Miss Suspension, Davide Groppi
Interior lighting C:  Roof S130, B.Lux
Interior lighting D:  Microperfetto, Aria
Interior lighting E:  Miniperfetto-S, Aria
Interior furniture A:  Tearoom Highback Lounge Chair, Menu
Interior furniture B:  N-CC01 Chair, Karimoku Case Study
Interior furniture C:  Androgyne side table, Audo
Interior furniture D:  Jiro Swivel chair, Resident
Interior furniture E:  Oru Counter Stool, Andreu World
Interior furniture F:  Liceo chair, Andreu World
Plumbing basin:  PB Basin – 60, ByCocoon
Plumbing faucet:  PB Set11, ByCocoon
Interior planting:  Custom, ByNature
Ceiling baffles:  Reveal Felt, The Quiet Room