Rachel Davies, Author at INTERIOR DESIGN & CONSULTANCY FOR PROPERTY SUCCESS

How to Get the Best of Your Care Home Refurbishments

The Importance of Refurbishing Care Homes: Enhancing Comfort, Satisfaction, and Value

Have you thought when you are going to next refurbish your care home? Care homes play a crucial role in providing a safe, comfortable, and supportive environment for elderly residents. As the demand for quality care increases, the appearance and functionality of care homes become significant factors in maintaining high occupancy rates and ensuring resident satisfaction. Regular refurbishment not only enhances the well-being of residents but also strengthens a care home’s reputation and financial viability.

Creating a Comfortable and Homely Environment

For many residents, a care home is their permanent home, making it essential to provide a warm, welcoming, and aesthetically pleasing environment. Outdated interiors, worn-out furniture, and poor lighting can create a clinical and uninspiring atmosphere, which may negatively impact residents’ mental and emotional well-being. A well-planned refurbishment can introduce calming color schemes, modern furnishings, and comfortable communal areas that foster a sense of home and belonging.

Improving Safety and Accessibility

As residents age, their mobility and sensory abilities may decline. A refurbishment project provides the opportunity to upgrade facilities to accommodate these changes. Installing slip-resistant flooring, improving lighting, adding handrails, and ensuring wheelchair accessibility in all areas can prevent accidents and promote independent living. Investing in ergonomic furniture and user-friendly bathrooms can also enhance the quality of life for residents.

Enhancing Staff Morale and Efficiency

A well-designed care home not only benefits residents but also improves working conditions for staff. Upgrading staff areas, optimizing the layout for smoother workflows, and incorporating modern technology can help caregivers provide better and more efficient care. When staff members feel comfortable and supported in their work environment, it reflects positively in their interactions with residents, leading to a happier and healthier atmosphere.

Maintaining High Occupancy and Competitive Rates

Families seeking care for their loved ones consider the overall ambiance and quality of a care home before making a decision. A freshly refurbished care home with inviting interiors, well-maintained outdoor spaces, and modern amenities stands out in the market. This investment can justify higher rates while ensuring that occupancy levels remain high.

Sustainable and Cost-Effective Solutions

Refurbishing doesn’t always mean a complete overhaul; even small changes can make a big difference. Incorporating energy-efficient lighting, durable materials, and easy-to-maintain surfaces can reduce long-term costs. Sustainable design choices, such as using non-toxic paints and improving ventilation, can create a healthier living environment for residents and staff alike.

Final Thoughts

Refurbishing a care home is more than just an aesthetic upgrade—it is an investment in resident comfort, staff well-being, and business success. By prioritizing a welcoming atmosphere, enhanced safety features, and efficient layouts, care home operators can ensure they provide the highest standard of care while maintaining strong occupancy rates and financial stability. Keeping up with modern trends and regulations ensures that care homes remain competitive and desirable, benefiting both residents and their families.

Wellness

How to Have a Stress-Free Dental Practice Interior Refurbishment

A modern inviting dental reception design

Transforming Your Dental Practice: A Stress-Free Approach to Interior Design & Project Management

A well-designed dental practice is more than just a workspace—it’s an essential part of your brand, patient experience, and team efficiency. Whether you’re looking to refresh your reception area, upgrade treatment rooms, or carry out a full refurbishment, a carefully planned design can make a world of difference.

At Spinriver Design, we specialise in creating modern, welcoming, and functional interiors tailored for wellness practices in Cornwall and Devon. But we don’t just design—we take care of the entire process, from sourcing trusted building contractors to full project management, ensuring a seamless and stress-free experience for you.

Why Consider a Dental Practice Refurbishment?

Your practice’s environment plays a crucial role in shaping patient perceptions and comfort. Studies show that calming, well-designed spaces can help ease anxiety, while an organised, ergonomic layout improves workflow for you and your team.

A refurbishment can:

Enhance patient experience – A modern and inviting space builds trust and comfort.
Improve efficiency – Smart layouts streamline movement and workflow.
Reflect your brand – Your interior design should communicate professionalism and care.
Boost team morale – A refreshed, well-planned workspace creates a better working environment for staff.

A Complete Turnkey Solution for Dental Practices

One of the biggest challenges dentists face when considering a refurbishment is the hassle of coordinating contractors, managing timelines, and minimising disruption to their business. That’s where we come in.

At Spinriver Design, we handle everything:

Bespoke Interior Design – Tailored to suit your brand, needs, and patient experience.

Reliable Building Contractors – We source and coordinate trusted professionals for the job.

Full Project Management – From planning to completion, we oversee the entire process so you don’t have to.

Keeping Disruption to a Minimum

We understand that time is money, and downtime is a major concern for dental practices. That’s why we work closely with you to plan refurbishments efficiently, ensuring minimal disruption to your business. Whether it’s phased renovations or scheduling work outside of business hours, we tailor the project timeline to fit your needs.

Let’s Create a Space That Works for You

If you’ve been considering a refurbishment but have been put off by the potential hassle, we’re here to make it simple. With our end-to-end service, you can achieve a beautifully designed, highly functional practice without the stress of managing it yourself.

Get in touch today for a free consultation, and let’s discuss how we can bring your vision to life.

Contact Rachel at info@spinriverdesign.com

Let’s transform your dental practice into a space that truly works for you, your team, and your patients

Holiday home kitchen design by Spinriver Design

holiday home design

It’s The Best AirBNB They’ve Ever Stayed In…Said 2 Guests So Far!

A Glowing Client Testimonial

This is the feedback just in from a client after we finished their project 12 months ago.

“We have had loads of AirBnb guests over the last 12 months (one even twice!), and are pretty much fully-booked for the summer. We are greatly enjoying the property ourselves and we thought you might like to see some of our AirBnb testimonials”

Two of their guests say that it is the best AirBNB they’ve ever stayed in – high praise indeed!

A modern open plan navy shaker kitchen with large central island in white marble, light grey wooden flooring and white walls is set off with bright modern artwork and a rustic oak dining table.

A successful holiday home in Devon

This private owner of the AirBNB in Braunton contacted us to design their holiday home. This was after not getting the design they wanted from their architect. We arrived on site to find half of the house at the back demolished as the work was underway to extend the kitchen!

Time was of the essence as the contractors were on site. We quicky reworked the plans and opened up the kitchen to benefit from the natural light. Being a north facing room this was key. A new shower room was also created that was accessed of the main hall. A luxurious high quality Hans Grohe shower was installed. The shower is was convenient for the living room at the front which doubles up as a 3rd bedroom when needed via a sofabed.

Victorian tiling featured in the hallway. However the original tiling was damaged so we refurbished it in keeping with the original look and feel.

The refurbished hallway with Victorian style tiling

Upstairs a completely new bathroom was installed. We used lovely brick-bonded tiling in limestone – giving it a spa like feel.

We maximised the space in this house by using a king size bed in the smaller bedroom. We also borrowed some space from the larger bedroom next door to create a sleek built in wardrobe.

In the second larger bedroom we decided on a triple bunk and single bed which maximises the capacity so that this terrace house actually sleeps 8!

Turnkey Service

This project was turn key – we delivered the whole interior scheme in CAD giving the builders the exact layout and elevational details. We provided visuals and specified and procured all the finishes and furniture. Custom window blinds were also specified and installed by us. Since the clients were not nearby we took all the delivery of furniture and furnishings as well as staged the final holiday home. This included the garden furniture and plants too!

Great Testimonials on AirBNB

It’s so lovely to get an impromptu email from our clients 12 months on to express how pleased all their guests are! They are getting 4.96 out of 5.0 in terms of reviews which speaks for itself! Read the glowing reviews from their AirBNB customers here.

Spinriver Design on YouTube

Want to to see more of our work? Head over to our YouTube channel here.

Book the Braunton Holiday Home

if you’d like to book this holiday home in Braunton, Devon please visit AirBNB here but be quick as it is very booked already!

Technology Technology and Innovation

How Genie the Robot is Delivering More than Face Value to Cornwall Housing in 2023

As small white desktop robot with an oval head black screen face and large blue round eyes sits on a wooden desk.

Using Voice and Touch Commands plus Video Links to Deliver a Range of Services

A residential care home Anvil Court in Camelford is the latest site to get a GenieHub through Independent Living part of Cornwall Housing. The GenieHub features a first generation robot called Genie developed by Bristol based Service Robotics.

Touch and Voice Command

Genie uses voice and touch commands and is able to provide a range of services on this platform. These range from medical assistance and social care to logging housing issues. Genie is able to help remind users to take their meds for example and will also in future be able to enable appointments using the video link to health practitioners. A calendar is available where you are able to set reminders for things such as private appointments.

Combatting Loneliness

Originally developed to combat loneliness Genie has the ability to recognise the mood of people through capturing several people and aggregating their expressions. It can also start a conversation and notice if you haven’t interacted with it for say 1 hour – it would for example offer to play a game with you.

Security is of utmost concern so it isn’t connected to the internet all the time unlike Alexa.

Genie Hubs

The GenieHub is a small private room where residents are able to login to their profile with Genie and interact with a Cornwall Housing companion using a video link to gain assistance. Eventually the plan would be to have these installed in private rooms and houses to help people gain virtual assistance through their own private Genie. It’s designed to be very simple to use so that older people who are not used to using smart phones are able to navigate it.

The efficiencies it brings are enormous when you look at the number of in person appointments that could be transformed by using this technology it is really encouraging. This would mean a significant carbon footprint reduction as well as savings in cost and resources. In person appointments would then be used where they are needed most particularly needed in health and social care. Genie also offers a degree of privacy and independence to users as it is less intrusive than having people visit – for those with compromised immune systems it also has obvious benefits.

The technology is proving useful to those with dementia in early stages as it can prompt reminders and also give you access to the date and time as a default screen if you wish rather than a face.

Future Uses & Future Proofing

In future the 1st generation Genie is future proofed so that when the 2nd generation Genie is developed it will receive the update through the cloud and have the extra functionality.

Access to users online shopping accounts will be enabled in future (although no bank details are stored within this system itself for security) so people can shop for their groceries online on it too as long as they have an account set up with say Sainsbury’s or Tesco for example.

Other features of Genie in development include the ability to recognise teh sound of fire alarms and smoke alarms or the sound of breaking glass.

Read more about the GenieConnect service by Service Robotics at https://www.genieconnect.co.uk/

There are so many potential applications of this technology.

What would you like to see Genie used for and why?

Home Staging

How to Best Prepare to Dress My House for Sale

Tips to Prepare Your House

These are some tips for your to prepare your to dress your house for sale. This ensures you get the best price possible.

De-clutter – clear out, sell, donate or simply store your pieces of furniture you don’t need. When staging a house you are simply trying to create an impression. You do not need all the furniture that you have to live within it. Ensure that you can enter the hall free of unnecessary furniture and accessories and create a feeling of calm as they enter.
De-personalise your space – remove personal photos, antiques, collections and souvenirs. These items are most likely not going to enhance the appeal of your home to potential buyers. Think modern clean lines and you are on the right track.
Deep clean -now you’ve moved all the items out that aren’t needed. These could be children’s toys, pet accessories, personal photos. Next you need to have a really good clean and ensure your property is sparkling. Don’t forget the windows inside and out!
Fix anything which is broken and ensure all fittings such as lightbulbs are present and work. You may not notice the squeaking back door you’ve lived with for 5 years but your buyers will. Don’t let anything rattle, shake or appear broken – it sends out the wrong vibe!
Bathrooms can usually benefit from a freshen up with new sealant and cleaning the grout between the tiles. Ensure there is no sign of mould anywhere.
Clear up the garden, tidy, weed and mow the lawn if you have one at least. Make sure your property is tidy at both the back and front. Even if it’s a courtyard style area it needs to have kerb appeal!

Creating a space for your prospective buyers to actually feel there is plenty of room is as key as the furniture itself.
Rachel Davies

property staging

Should I Stage All Rooms of My Property For a Better Price?

“But I only want to stage 3-5 rooms as I don’t think I need to stage all the rooms?”

This is a common query owners often have – do I really need to stage all the rooms? You are worrying about expenditure, but it is always best to stage the whole property for best effect. You are selling a whole property, you wouldn’t decorate half of it and then stop would you? When you leave out rooms from staging you are effectively neglecting a space. This is then communicated to your potential buyers as “this wasn’t worth staging” or “this space isn’t valued by the owner”. This is not the message you want to convey. Even the smallest styling tricks can transform a space and make photos pop.

In the UK 33% of agents express that Home Staging raised offers from 11-15% in the Home Staging Association Report of November 2021 last year.

Now why would you want to lessen your chance of an uplift like that? Property staging adds value and it’s an investment so that is why you shouldn’t skimp on leaving out rooms. When we stage properties we price for the whole property as it just isn’t a professional approach to take to stage only part. Each and every space is valuable and you want to convey that in your presentation of your property.

Flooring holiday home design Interior styling property staging Space planning window treatments

Add Value to Your Holiday Property with a Refurb

Get Your Design Right From the Start

Open Plan Kitchen Family Rooms

As the UK holiday market is so hot since covid it means the competition for bookings has increased. If you want to gain a good ROI then you need to have great photos to attract high quality bookings.

Kitchens are a great place to invest your money. Think about perhaps knocking together rooms to create an open plan family style kitchen diner as these are desirable. Having an island with bar stools makes the room a more social space and ideal for entertaining with a dining area next to it. Also if you have room the addition of a sofa adds another great dimension to the family kitchen room.

Families that holiday may want to have a separate lounge and TV sometimes if kids want to watch their programmes and you want to watch Netflix!

Holiday Property Bathrooms

Look to make an en-suite bathroom for a master bedroom that is an asset. The addition of a second bedroom and en-suite is also a real boon. Space at a premium? Consider a Jack and Jill style bathroom. This is one that serves both as family bathroom and en-suite via two doors.

Holiday Property Outside Space

The garden is an area that is also used extensively in holiday lets. Think about having a large deck or patio area which is low maintenance and offers an “outside room”. Furnish the area with good quality table, chairs and parasol. A BBQ is desirable and if you have ample space consider an outdoor kitchen space. Self-catering is an option If you are staying in a holiday let.. The more stylish the offering to eat at the holiday home the more appealing it may be. Especially to epicurians.

Flooring

Choose hard flooring for the ground floor if you are allowing pets. You can always add rugs to create extra cosiness and for warmth underfoot. Timber style tiles such as the ones in the picture above are an excellent choice and can be used with underfloor heating. If using carpet choose a loop pile carpet which is hard wearing and more modern looking than cut piles. Cut piles tend to attract more dirt like a velvet does. Keep flooring in neutral tones.

Electrical

It’s best to re-wire older properties. Get the wiring checked by a qualified electrician. You can get a safety certificate which lasts 10 years. Old wiring can pose a fire risk as older properties were not designed for the loads we use today. Take advice from an electrician on whether you need to upgrade your motherboard.

Plumbing

As with electrics you’ll need to assess whether the heating system you have is adequate for your guests and the number of bathrooms you want to install. The last thing you want is a boiler that can’t keep up with the demand for hot water for your guests. Think about replacing any old fashioned radiators for heated towel rail styles in bathrooms. Make sure you get your Gas safe engineer out to get your boiler serviced and have a safety certificate ready before you enlist an agent. Having all your paperwork ready to go will ensure you get your first guests in all the more quickly.

Curtains or Blinds

When it comes to window treatments you must consider safety. Child safety is paramount in a holiday let. If you have new curtains or blinds your need to ensure they meet contract safety standards and are installed properly. If in doubt we can help by specifying and installing your window treatments are part of your project.

Stage Your Holiday Property To Get Fab Photos

When you finish refurbishing and furnishing your holiday let, don’t forget your guests are attracted by photos. Enlisting the help of a property stager means your property will have the competitive edge with style. It’s those finishing touches of styling and artwork that can really make a big difference. If you have an eye for design and have time on your hands then this is for you!

If not and your property is in Devon then contact us for a free quote.

We love to help owners get their properties booked up fast.

Email info@spinriverdesign.com for a FREE quote today.

Design process Hotel design Interior design Interior designer property staging Spa design

How to Successfully Select Beautiful Paint for Your Property

Choosing Your Paint for Your Property

What I’m about to share may come as a surprise but this is a common pitfall I see…

Choosing your paint colour first is a very bad idea.

It may seem like you’ve made a big decision in choosing your paint and you have – but not for the right reasons.

Why is it a Bad Idea To Choose it First?

This finish comes in almost infinite colours so in choosing a colour it seems like you’ve narrowed it down and covered you’re largest surface area. You have however when it comes to the rest of the scheme you are then much more restricted on your colour choices. You’ve now made your job a lot harder to put a whole scheme together successfully. Upholstery of furniture, fabric of blinds or curtains is very limited compared to paint. It’s these things the eye will focus on more in a room. By the time you’ve selected all your flooring, fabrics, accessories and lighting that all sing together you will probably want to change your paint scheme to something a little warmer or a little richer.

When to Pick Your Paint

Picking beautiful paint is one of your last tasks as a designer – it’s hard to get right for a whole host of other reasons too but that’s another subject.

Remember you can mix paint to any colour you need to bring your scheme together.

Paint should be your secret weapon – your “friend at the end” not the thorn in your side -you decide!
Rachel Davies, Spinriver Design

If you need help co-ordinating your serviced accommodation interior contact me on rachel@spinriverdesign.com for a free quotation.

property staging

Property Stage Your Holiday Let with a Unique Look

We are pleased to say that from January 2022 we will be providing a property staging service to Devon. This service is aimed at holiday home owners that want to stage their properties before used. The furniture is contract standard so is high quality and suitable for the high traffic a serviced accommodation unit needs. We are also offering a full window treatment service with installation.

Whether you are simply looking to stage a one bedroomed apartment or you have a hotel to furnish we can help you achieve an elegant inviting look that suits your budget.

To get on our waiting list email info@spinriverdesign.com

Property Staging for Serviced Accomodation

Interior design Interior ideas Interior styling Modern home

2 Modern Stylish Sofabeds for Spring / Summer 2021

Getting Guest Ready for Spring

Modern Sofabed for 2021
Amora by Furniture Village — The Classic back Amora Sofabed in Chocolate from Furniture Village

Spring has never been needed more than after the lockdown winter of 2020/21.

With home working a permanent feature of my guest bedroom / office (me) and kitchen-diner (hubby) I’ve recently decided to look at different modern sofabeds for our lounge . This means when lockdown is eased we can put up friends and family easily.

A Modern Luxe Style Sofabed

With a luxe modern vibe is the sleek Amora sofabed from the Amora range of sofas by Furniture Village.

This is the range I chose for my living room recently – I love the classic back 3 seaters rather than the loose “pillow backs” option. I have two 3 seaters in my living room one sofa bed and one sofa. We also went for the foam upgrade giving the cushions a squarer edged appearance.

Kelly Hoppen has designed an incredible range of rugs with Italian design house Loloey Rug Design. If I were to able to choose anything to go with my sofas it would be this the Filigree Rug.

You have twenty in the whole range to pick from. With its light background and delicate branch like pattern you can make a real statement piece with this! All rugs can be customised to your requirements.

I already have an arc style floor lamp in chrome in my lounge which sits over an antique chaise-longue which will become a reading nook. If I got to choose the lamp again though I’d go for this one from MADE.com with its brass finish, glossy shade and black marble bass.

A Minimalist Modern Sofabed

Looking at another modern sofabed for 2021 I found the Frieda sofabed from Love Your Home. This suits minimalist contemporary lounge and turns into a full size double bed.

One feature of this bed is the all in one seat and back cushions meaning there’s no gaps to fall between the cushions when you sit on it.

Try the Ebro sideboard for storage for your living room. Useful for keeping bits and pieces out of site of guests when they stay.

Team this with the Meley rug also from MADE.com for a lovely Spring pastel vibe with plenty of texture.

This hairpin legged side table doubles as both a lamp table for the lounge or a bedside table for guests when using the sofabed.

I hope you enjoy preparing for guests post lockdown as much as I am. Have fun picking your modern sofabeds for 2021 and welcoming family and friends to your home!