Specs Optometry
San Diego, California
Healthcare
A hospitality-inspired optical boutique designed to express brand identity, elevate patient experience, and align with a premier lifestyle destination.
Located within One Paseo, a design-forward retail and lifestyle destination in San Diego, Specs Optometry is a full-service optometry practice and luxury optical boutique known for its curated eyewear and highly personalized patient experience.
As part of the brand’s continued expansion, Irwin Raymond was engaged to design the company’s third location—translating Specs’ core values of warmth, playfulness, and effortless style into a refined, hospitality-driven environment that aligns with One Paseo’s sophisticated retail character.
The goal was to create an optical environment that functions seamlessly as both a clinical practice and a premium retail boutique.
The Challenge
The success of this project required careful alignment between brand expression, operational performance, and delivery constraints.
Key challenges included:
Translating the brand’s identity consistently into a new physical environment
Delivering a premium, custom-designed space while maintaining strict budget alignment
Coordinating custom millwork fabrication to ensure quality and precision
Meeting an accelerated schedule to support timely opening
Balancing clinical performance with a refined, hospitality-inspired retail experience
The space needed to feel elevated, playful, and brand-appropriate—while functioning flawlessly as both a healthcare and retail environment.
Our Strategy
We approached the project through our experience-driven healthcare and retail framework, aligning brand identity, patient experience, and operational requirements from the earliest design phases.
Our strategy focused on:
translating the brand’s warmth and personality into architectural and material expression
creating a hospitality-inspired optical boutique experience that encourages comfort and exploration
designing custom millwork and display systems to support both merchandising and visual clarity
managing vendor coordination, procurement, and project delivery to protect design intent and quality
ensuring the new location maintained brand consistency while establishing its own unique identity
Every design decision was guided by the goal of creating an environment that feels both refined and approachable.
The Design Solution
The final environment blends minimalist architectural clarity with playful, hospitality-inspired warmth.
Drawing inspiration from both Scandinavian and Japanese design principles, the space emphasizes simplicity, balance, and material honesty—while subtle moments of whimsy reinforce the brand’s approachable personality.
Custom millwork and display fixtures provide elegant product presentation, while warm lighting and carefully considered material selections create a welcoming and calming atmosphere.
The result is an optical environment that feels more like a curated boutique than a traditional healthcare space.
The Result
A hospitality-driven optical boutique aligned with Specs Optometry’s brand identity.
A refined retail and clinical environment supporting both patient care and product discovery
Successful delivery aligned with schedule, budget, and design intent
Positive feedback from both the client and patients regarding the elevated experience
The project received national recognition for design excellence and was honored as part of the:
Retail Design Institute — Class of 2019
This award reflects the strength of the concept as both a brand expression and a highly functional healthcare environment.
-
Interior architecture and interior design
Architectural services
Environmental graphics and brand integration
Custom millwork and display design
Vendor coordination and procurement
Project management
-
This project strengthened Specs Optometry’s brand presence by translating its identity into a refined physical environment that supports patient trust, retail engagement, and long-term growth.
The new location now serves as a flagship expression of the brand’s vision and design philosophy.