"La suele vérité en fin de compte, c'est de mener une vie passionnée, meme si elle se rebelle et vous frappe au visage" - Boris Vian
Translation: The only truth in the end is to lead a passionate life, even if it rebels and hits you in the face.
Agreed. We have built Edgework Creative on the back of passion; for people, for craft, for community. This project was the perfect representation of this passion. Collaborating with people like Dr. Monique Kademian and Jess Bodamer of Double Knot Home, on the build of the reception desk at VÉRITÉ Dermatology Boutique embodied our passion for people, craft and community. It was a joy to work alongside these talented, smart and driven women. Now, let's take a closer look inside.
"Aging is a beautiful part of life. I am here to help you feel your best self at any age," Dr Monique Kademian.
Vision for the Practice
The Vérité Vision is to offer full-spectrum aesthetic, surgical and medical dermatologic care that is personal, thorough, accessible and fully transparent in cost to patients, under the direction of a board certified dermatologist.
Vérité means Truth in French. "This word means a lot to me, the story behind both the birth of this dream, and its execution," Monique shares. "My truth is to try to live my life as both fierce and feminine. Both strong and compassionate. Determined and humble. Brave and transparent. I wanted to create a concept, a space, a vibe that felt strong but also sensitive. These are the qualities that I try to embody as a friend, a wife, a mother, and a doctor." It is clear that this practice is a place built and rooted with purpose.
"I wanted to provide a resource as the true skin expert in my community, and educate people on the importance of understanding the credentials and training of their chosen skin expert," Monique shares. "I have a love for facial rejuvenation, laser treatments, injectables and skin care backed by science. When it comes to injectables, I am a firm believer in a conservative approach yielding natural looking results."
Services
VÉRITÉ offers a comprehensive menu of aesthetic and medical services. They have experienced aestheticians and offer a menu of facials, peels, and dermaplane procedures. The importance of skin cancer detection and medical surveillance is always stressed and available.
This full spectrum commitment is something Monique is very committed to. "In a world with rising health care premiums, deductibles, and many who are uninsured, I am VERY sensitive to the issue of accessibility and transparency with respect to medical care costs. The direct pay model (where doctors are not directly contracted with insurance companies) allows me to focus on patient care and provides more time for me to spend with you! I have the necessary time to listen, to educate, and get to know you. I went to medical school to take care of people, to help, and to take the time necessary to understand and invest in other human beings - that is what it's all about. This model has brought the focus back to the patient, where it belongs," Monique shares.
Design Forward
Jess Bodamer of Double Knot Home was the designer behind the VÉRITÉ office. "From the concept to the specific pieces we sourced, our goal in designing VÉRITÉ was to create a new kind of doctor's office: a polished and professional medical environment that is also welcoming, relaxing, and visually interesting."
"In my view, the real skill in design is not in color palettes, fabric selections, or any of the other things that people think designers do -- it's in creating that feeling. Creating the feeling -- whichever feeling that may be -- is what enhances the connection to the space and ultimately to the business," Jess shares.
This office has an undeniably beautiful and relaxing result. This is executed best when there is a clear vision from the start. "The most special part of this client-designer relationship has been the degree to which [Monique] trusted us with developing and executing the vision for the space," Jess shares.
"If you look at the design closely, you'll notice that we incorporated a number of rounded, soft forms (curved sofa, round tables, etc.) to make the space feel more approachable and inviting -- perhaps the best example of this is the capsule shaped reception desk with its rounded doweling and curved ends."
The design of the desk came together element by element, rather than as a fully concepted piece. Jess reflects on the process, "we knew a capsule shape would suit the design best, both in terms of form and function. We knew we wanted to bring texture into the space, and that the desk would be situated on a large white wall, so we wanted to differentiate it from its surroundings with our material choices. Decision by decision, the pieces morphed into the final product."
Behind the Build
"I'm not going to lie, when I first saw the reception desk in the Edgework shop, I had to take a deep breath because to see craftspeople who have made a thing that has only existed in your brain come to life so perfectly is an immensely emotional experience, even for an ice queen like me. The reception desk is hands down my favorite piece, though the wallpapered ceiling in the reception room is a close second," Jess shares. Us too Jess, us too. Building pieces to not only be beautiful, but functional is a pure joy.
Justin (@brown.build) built this desk and documented the process. "My favorite builds are for clients and designers who have a great sense of design. All the elements came together for this reception desk and I'm happy I was able to build it. The warmth of the white oak and brass pairs perfectly with the aesthetic of the space," Justin shares. Let's take a closer look at his process.
Each dowel was cut perfectly in half.
Semi circle plywood discs were used to create the skeletons of the desk.
The skeletal sections were then wrapped in bendable plywood to create a continuous surface and then the dowels were placed one by one around the curves.
The two sections were joined with a back surface to maintain the illusion of a continuous piece.
Solid brass was used for the toe kick. After applied, it was brushed to give the metal a linear grain.
We routed this solid surface top to match the profile of the base. Then we finished the wood.
"I am completely OBSESSED with the textural wood component that was created by laying the dowels along the entire exterior by hand. The contrast of the natural wood against the brass base is gorgeous and compliments many other aspects of the space perfectly. It is a vision, a first impression, and symbol of the love, energy, time, tears, talent and teamwork that went into successfully executing this idea - this idea to create something beautiful and help people," Monique shares.
A Special Note of Thanks from Monique
"It was my priority to use and support local businesses and dreams wherever possible during the development and execution of this idea, and I will continue to do so moving forward." Be sure to read all about the incredible local contributors to this project below. Monique would like to publicly thank the following people:
- Custom Reception Desk- Edgework Creative @edgeworkcreative
- Interior Design- Jess Bodamer of Double Knot Home @doubleknothome
- Photography- Marshall Evan Photography @marshallevanphoto
- Web Design- Allie + Adam Lehman, Matt Hartgering + Dayna De Leon of The Wonder Jam @thewonderjam
- Artwork - Anna Sokol @theannasokol
- Logo - Rich Cobb @cobbdesigngroup
- Stationery - Karly Cammerer Depew @oscarandemma
- Headshot - Benjamin Derkin @derksworks
- Social Media - Sylvie Kademian @sylviemoves
- The City of Bexley - @cityofbexley
An infinite thank you to my family, friends, teachers, mentors, coaches, and inspiring entrepreneurs for their encouragement and support.
Heartfelt gratitude to Edgework Creative for highlighting the dream behind this build.
Edgework Creative is a tight-knit team specializing in handcrafted furniture, custom fixtures, making our clients happy and having a good time. We work in both the residential and commercial spaces and we love creative and inspired projects.
We believe in a world filled with furniture made by passionate people, from quality materials and designed to tell a story. Our work is our passion. We create furniture with feeling and build spaces that tell stories.