THe aesthetic era - medical spa

Waiting area with curved velvet chairs and Art Deco details in a historic 1920s building — The Aesthetic Era Med Spa

Location: richmond, virginia
Designed and executed in 2024
Scope: interior design and art direction
1690 sq.ft

In an age of minimalist med spas, The Aesthetic Era in Richmond stands apart — not with flash, but with grace. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t demand attention, but earns it quietly, room by room, detail by detail.

Housed in a 1920s building in one of Richmond’s most historic neighborhoods, this medical boutique spa feels less like a place you visit and more like one you’re invited into. The space still wears its past proudly — soft echoes of the early Art Deco movement hum beneath the surface, reawakened through careful curation rather than theatrical imitation.

Designed by wellness interior designer Nataly Karavay, The Aesthetic Era unfolds like a home — because once, it was one. The original apartment layout, with its intimate rooms and human scale, remains largely untouched. “The space was already speaking, our role was to listen — to both the architecture and the client’s desire for warmth, trust, and elegance.” - NK

Rather than erase its history with a full renovation, we embraced it. Subtle architectural quirks were kept intact, and the design evolved as a quiet dialogue between past and present. We layered the rooms with a soft palette, sculptural lighting, and furnishings that feel collected rather than sourced — pieces with presence. The waiting area doesn’t feel like a waiting area; it feels like a salon in the truest, most human sense: a place for pause, conversation, and breath.

The interiors channel a distinctly Neo–Art Deco sensibility — not through visual mimicry, but through emotional lineage. There’s the geometry of vintage mirrors, the sensuality of curved velvet chairs, the hush of natural fabrics and dark woods. Fringed slipper chairs sit atop soft rose rugs. Antique cabinets stand like sentinels of memory.

This isn’t just a med spa. It’s a time capsule. A sanctuary. A conversation between eras — and a quiet, lasting reminder that soul and sophistication can absolutely coexist.

Annotated floor plan of the 1,690 sq ft spa with two spa rooms, medical spa room, waiting room, kitchen and entry — The Aesthetic Era - Medical SPA interior design

Concept collage of the lounge: brown velvet chair, white armchair, fireplace, beaded round mirror, antique cabinet, fiddle-leaf fig and rust rug

Close-up of handmade zellige tiles in soft whites and creams, each glazed square catching the light differently — The Aesthetic Era - Medical SPA interior design

Concept collage of the lounge with brown velvet chair, slipcovered armchair, antique glazed cabinet and beaded round mirror — The Aesthetic Era - Medical SPA interior design

Tasseled linen curtains parting to a mauve alcove with convex mirror, dark console, fresh flowers and a lit candle — The Aesthetic Era - Medical SPA interior design

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