MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO, the glorious panorama Katharine Lee Bates took in from Pikes Peak in Colorado inspired her poetic lyrics for “America the Beautiful.” In 2018, the Centennial State’s majestic mountaintops inspired an artist of a different sort: Dr. Rebecca Facy.

“I love being an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and making the patient the center of every decision,” says Dr. Facy, 48. After 13 years in a group practice in Colorado Springs, last year she opened CoMax (Colorado Maxillofacial and Oral Surgeons) in this stunning 7,500-square-foot space.

“The industrial theme came from my own design sensibility, as well as trying to do something a little unusual in health care,” she says. With east- and south-facing windows that let in all that Colorado sun, “I knew this could be the open, airy space I was looking for. The design vision then quickly came together in my mind.”

“Quickly” is rather an understatement: This $1.1 million masterpiece was completed in just six months. Fittingly for its location, CoMax celebrates nature in the form of a large wooden slab (the business desk), acoustic baffles (paying homage to the mountains) and green accent finishes that mirror Colorado’s major tree types: Aspen, Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine. Workstations wrapped in a surface with a pleasant patina mimic the area’s rock formations.

As the accelerated timeline indicates, hurdles during the build-out were few. “We learned early that there was a large column not accounted for in the design that would require several changes to the architecture of the space,” Dr. Facy says—a potentially large problem made smaller by the concerted brainpower of the entire team.

Patients notice and appreciate the care taken. “The waiting room elicits many compliments,” the doctor notes. “From the open-concept ceiling, coffee bar, electronics station and art, no detail was overlooked. I wanted it to be elegant and functional, and to put patients at ease during what can be a stressful experience.”

The result: a total team effort, a beautiful industrial-modern space with enviable aesthetics and personal touches such as Dr. Facy’s own complex cross-stitch renderings of a variety of famous artworks. “I love art museums,” she says, “and for me [the practice] almost has that feel now.”

REBECCA FACY’S SPECIALTY-DESIGN TIPS
“Designing a new office can be fun and not so fun at the same time. Keep an open mind, because the design will change from where you started. Start with what’s most functional, and make it beautiful from there. Also, soliciting opinions from staff and others on what works, and why, always helps ensure that you’re making sound decisions.”