interior design Archives ~ INTERIOR DESIGN & CONSULTANCY FOR PROPERTY SUCCESS

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

Inviting Interior Decor - Coastal Hospitality Interior

Renovate Your Hotel or Vacation Rental to Increase Bookings

Renovate Your Hotel or Vacation Rental to Increase Revenue — Modern Coastal Style Bedroom

Do you own a hotel or holiday home that needs to increase its revenue? Need to recover from the lockdown?

Expectations grow as the years go by and the Covid19 pandemic brings new challenges. Designers can support this by introducing extra solid surfaces and fabrics for windows with impregnated anti-microbial properties. Attention needs to be paid to how easy everything is to clean now and having a refresh of key areas such as headboards and curtains or drapes that people touch will be significant.

By carrying out a light refurbishment you can increase your booking rates both in frequency and in the rates you charge as your new interiors entice more holiday goers. You should also think about offsetting the costs against your tax bill to make it cost effective, ask your accountant for details.

UK Interior Designer Rachel Davies trained with world leading 5 star hotel spa designers ESPA International before setting up her freelance business Spinriver Design in 2009. She now works in the UK and Europe to design unique modern homes with a touch of luxury where possible!

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Creative Trends Blog

Creative Trends Rachel Bogdaniec, Spinriver Design ltd

This month I have been featured on the Creative Trends blog by Terry’s Fabrics, you can also see photos of my latest project at Cornwall’s Five Star Retallack Resort using a palette of soft greens. Take a look here to read all about it! Thank you for reading.

If you would like to contact me in regards to a refurbishment you are planning or any other design related query such as planning drawings, please call me on 07590 530806 or email info@spinriverdesign.com for a free initial consultation.

Boutique Cornwall Cornwall designer decorating my hotel design resources Hotel design hotel design hotel refurb Interior designer Interior ideas Interior styling luxury hotel design Newquay online interior design course Soft furnishings window treatments

Boutique Hotel Design

Luxury Boutique Style Bedroom in Contemporary Country Style

The term “Boutique Hotel” was termed in the 1980’s and referred to independent hotels with aspirational design and excellent service. It was largely a reaction to the chain hotels and the lack of sense of place that was felt these hotels offered, ie you could enter a X hotel somewhere in the world and not really know whereabouts you were until you were without setting foot outside! Of course these days the chain hotels have largely upped their game and style, individuality and sense of place have become a discerning factor for many travellers who hanker after “authenticity” as part of their cultural experience when holiday making.

Designing Your Hotel

So what can you do if you are a small hotel or guest house to increase your desirability and increase those all important bookings. The boutique hotel trend offers those even with the smallest of spaces, small numbers of rooms a chance to excel with a bit of design know how. The first things to consider in my opinion are your existing brand, location and your building. To create a sense of authenticity your interior should fit with all these aspects. Of course if your brand is something you feel is out of date or incongruent with your location and building then this could be changed along with your refurbishment. For example if you have bought a Cornish coastal hotel and it had a family name in the hotel title which associated with the old owners, it would no longer be relevant and it would be ideal to change it to something which lets people recognize it as a coastal hotel in Newquay such as “Towan Beach Hotel”. When we hear something as simple as this our mind begins to create a sense of place. Tap into that and develop it, its your story and your hotel is unique, that is what people will buy into.

So let’s say we are trying to create a boutique hotel with a contemporary coastal theme on a budget. A good place to start is by simply changing the window treatments (this is your curtains or blinds). You can keep walls largely neutral and add accents of colours using cushions and runners on the beds. You may want to have a feature wall behind the bedhead. Try and avoid putting beds below windows but on the wall which your focus is naturally drawn to when you enter the room. If you have a particularly wonderful window and view it would be nice to be able to place the bed so that you can see this window opposite it for example. Try and work your design around the best points of your room’s architecture. If you have fantastic ceilings then keep other elements simple and perhaps pick out the ceiling in two shades of white for example. A simple way to create a feature wall is to use a paint colour on one wall which picks up on your main fabrics in the room. Blues work particularly well with yellow or orange for a contemporary look. If you want a more traditional look think of the blue and white florals which are reminiscent of pottery, these can look really fresh and work well with either white painted furniture for a slightly shabby chic effect or dark timber furniture for a very classic traditional look. Keep flooring simple, a plain neutral carpet in a mid tone or timber flooring is good particularly if you have original floorboards that can be sanded back and waxed. Patterned carpets are to be avoided as these are dated. If timber flooring is not in such good condition consider making good and painting it in an off white or neutral colour such as a Farrow and Ball Mouses Back or String. Good quality plain white bedding can be used – I much prefer to see plain bedding that is lifted by a small patterned runner in a more delicate fabric with some cushions in complementary fabrics. Try to give each room a different scheme and its own accent fabric. Pe0ple love individuality and you can give rooms much more personality in this way. There should be common elements to the rooms so maybe you pick different fabrics from the same range for example a large floral master room, a small ditsy floral single room, a stripe for the twin or family room.

Artwork and Scale

Pay attention to the scale of your room, if you have very high ceilings and a large room then small pieces of artwork placed either side of a small window will not look right. You would be better to cluster a few smaller pieces to give it more impact and “match” the scale of your large window and room. Alternatively find larger pieces of art. If you only have two or three similar sized small pieces of similar size then set them in matching frames and group them vertically for example. I’m putting an online course together for hotel owners that perhaps couldn’t justify working with a designer 1:1.

Have Your Say

If you would like to benefit from cost effective online interior design service, influence the shape of things to come by answering 5 questions here and leave your email at the end so I can give you a heads up when it goes live!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6ZQP8VL

Or if you prefer leave me a question or comment below and I’ll respond!

All the Best Rachel B x

Luxury Hospitality Interior Designer BA Hons, APMP

Spinriver Design ltd

Curtains Hotel design Non FR curtains

Luxury Window Treatments for Hotels or Holiday Homes

pinch pleat heading to curtain with button detail — Pinch pleat heading to curtain with button detail

When choosing fabrics for your hotel or holiday home curtains or blinds it is really important to understand the performance requirements with regards to fire ratings before you start. There is no blanket rule such as all holiday homes have to be FR inherent as each location has unique requirements. The onus is on the business owner or the legally designated “responsible person” to ensure that the correct fabric is used, so you do this through carrying out your own Risk Assessment (and indeed all other fabrics such as upholstery and bedding). It is best to seek the advice of your local Fire Officer trained to know this complicated and technical information, they will be happy to advise you for free. They will advise not only on soft furnishings but on all aspects of fire safety such as keys, smoke alarms, furniture. They are able to visit your hotel or holiday home and offer their judgement of what is needed for each particular area. For example there may be different requirements dependent on the volume of visitors, size of the building and other factors. They can guide you if you need to use a Fire Resistant fabric or not. Then there are two types of fire resistant fabrics – those which are inherently FR by their nature not flammable such as Trevira and those which need to be treated to become FR. Be aware that FR treatment adds to lead times and also washes out gradually so your curtains may need treating again in future. Also be aware that not all fabrics are FR treatable so you or your designer need to check this when specifying too. If you need an easily washed fabric that is machine wash you will also have to consider this. Having more restrictions on being FR inherent and washable will reduce your options on fabric designs and colours.

Spinriver Design are experienced in sourcing luxury fabrics to the highest and most stringent standards for fire and ease of care so if you are finding it a minefield why not save yourself some time and pick up the phone, we are happy to liaise with the Fire Officer on your behalf here in Cornwall if you are not in the vicinity. We supply a range of beautiful fabrics for a complete range of budgets and know where to look for that contemporary coastal or country look you want to achieve for your hotel or seaside holiday home. We can also advise on types of window treatments for particular rooms and arrange custom design of curtains and headboards which may need to be to a higher “Crib5” fire testing rating.

Give Rachel a call on 07590 530806 or email info@spinriverdesign.com to make an enquiry today.

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Relaxing in Your Room

spinriver design — Ambient lighting and natural decorative objects create a relaxing atmosphere.

Whether it is coming home after a full day of hard work or finally relaxing after a day of looking after the

kids, the opportunity to sit down and relax at home is certainly one to look forward to. Creating a relaxing

atmosphere in the living room or bedroom can be accomplished in a variety of ways; through lighting,

through colour and texture, through fabrics and accessories, and by bringing the outdoors inside.

Lighting

Soft lighting options are the first step in creating a calming and relaxing retreat in the living room or

bedroom. Low level lighting using lamps or ambient mood lighting are excellent choices for these rooms,

offering ambient lighting for the entire room without being overwhelming. The addition of a dimmer switch

will make the lighting even more flexible.

Natural sunlight is an important consideration as well, as it lifts a person’s spirits and improves their

overall feeling of well-being. Even when clouds hide the sun, the brightness of natural daylight should be

taken advantage of, so remember to raise blinds and pull back curtains to allow the light in.

Candles instantly evoke an atmosphere of calm, come in many varieties and should be embraced in all

their forms, from tapers to tea lights. White candles are always a reliable choice, but careful selection and

use of scented candles can also create the ideal atmosphere. Aromatherapy candles made with essential

oils will create the best quality and longest-lasting fragrance. Floral scents, such as rose, jasmine and, of

course, lavender, will create an aura of peace and tranquillity in a room within minutes.

Colour and texture

The choice of colour for a room is always up to a person’s individual taste, but paint colours are more

likely to create a calming effect if they are lighter, more soothing hues. Light-toned neutrals and soft

shades of green, blue and grey add quiet colour to a room. White is considered by some designers as the

most soothing choice; touches of warmer colours, such as pale yellow or gold, may be added to keep the

room from looking too monochromatic and warm it up.

Using white or light-toned neutrals as the primary colours in a room requires the addition of texture to

keep it from being too sterile. Textured wall treatments, such as Venetian plaster, or painting techniques

that add dimension will break-up the effect of a flat-white wall.

Fabrics and accessories

Fabrics are another key element when creating a relaxing air in a living room or bedroom. Soft fabrics that

hang and drape easily are ideal for window coverings and slipcovers. Pillows in a range of shapes, sizes

and fabrics offer flexibility as well as comfort; they can be easily changed and moved around, enlivening

the room without losing the air of relaxation.

Plants and other natural touches

Though live flowers and plants will require regular attention and care, the addition of heartier plants such

as ferns can add a welcome touch of the outdoors to the room. Topiaries and vases of fresh flowers

are both lovely ways to add a natural touch to any room. Sculptures in natural materials such as wood,

granite or marble can be the perfect way to complete the look of your relaxing room.

Aquarian Age astrology Coaching design resources Feng Shui Future trends home improvements Inspiring office interiors Interior design Interior designer Interior ideas Interior styling Knowledge sharing Kristin Sweeting Morelli New Moon in Aquarius Space planning

Feng Shui & Bali Here I Come!

This photo above is of Surf Haven Bali is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Woo hoo I’m all excited not just because I have an awesome summer holiday in Bali to look forward to but my spiritual path seems to be opening up right now just as the Age of Aquarius dawns : )

(This photo on the right is of Surf Haven Bali is courtesy of TripAdvisor)

Yes I have so much to tell you at the moment. I’m being coached over the internet via Skype or web by the amazing Kristin Sweetly Morelli who is a US based entrepreneur. It’s an 8 day immersion course and I am on day 6 of learning how to work with my energy. Already the difference in my approach is effective and has really brought about a boost in my creativity. Not only that I feel that all my passions in life are finally linking together in a holistic way that serves me practically too. Astrology, Feng Shui, Yoga, Surfing and Social Media & Health Food are all passions of mine along with Interior Design. For the last couple of months I’ve been doing some soul searching and had my husband and my birth charts above my desk for me get a deeper understanding of both of us (we happen to have the same birthday, both Sagittarius only I’m a year older!!). There are huge things going on Astrologically at the moment – today is a full moon in Aquarius. If you want to know more about this I recommend American Astrologer Kelley Rosano’s blog and YouTube channel. My interest in Feng Shui has led me to Google about space clearing and low and behold the world leader in Space Clearing (one art of the Chinese practise of Feng Shui) lives in the UK! She is called Karen Kingston and she spent 20 years living in Bali where the practise of Feng Shui is ingrained in their culture!

I can’t wait to go to Bali and find out first hand all about Feng Shui and energy in space. One of my goals is to de-clutter my house and get it flowing with good energy (chi) and I’ve realised from the coaching course I’m on, I am not alone. It’s one of the things that people seem to struggle with most. This is what I’m going to concentrate on – helping as many people as I can as quickly as I can be the best they can be in their homes by de-cluttering and designing their dream homes. Would you like to join me on my journey? Please leave a comment for me below, I’d love to know how I can help you and the most inspring challenge/comment I will respond to personally for free! Come on over to my facebook page here and post a photo the room you need help with!

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Traditional Style and Contemporary Elegance with Oak

Solid Oak Internal Doors …are not just for cottages

Contemporary Oak Door from The Heritage Collection

Solid oak internal doors certainly complement a traditional cottage interior. However, as with any product, their ability to make a distinctive contribution to the ambiance of any interior is one of the hallmarks of that quality.Solid Oak Doors are a design classic that have continued to evolve. Contemporary designs, made with the same craftsmanship and attention to detail as traditional designs simply add a new range of style options to the original concept. This just extends the contexts in which they look good. Traditional manufacturing methods married with modern designs have seen an increase in the number of contemporary oak doors available in the market which now allows for quality doors to be installed no matter what style interior you have.

Class is Permanent

Solid oak internal doors offer unrivalled quality. Hand built to order, solid oak doors fashioned by craftsman will last for centuries. The traditional reputation oak wood enjoys is due in no small part to its ability to convey an air of stability and permanence within any interior. Modern designs have added greater tactile elegance and flexibility to these traditional qualities. It is now possible to purchase a solid oak internal door to complement any interior setting

Style and Versatility

Solid oak internal doors often look attractive as they are but al lend themselves to a whole host of finishes. The oak can be stained in a range of oil finishes from clear oak through to dark oak (ebony). This can be a useful way to get oak doors to blend in with other furnishings. Of course, a good paint finish will achieve a similarly good blend. Oak doors can also be extensively customised by adding suitable handles and latches, glazing panels, mouldings and bracings to suit the demands of different interiors.

A Solid Investment

Solid oak internal doors are rarely the cheapest option, but their deserved reputation for durability

and long life means they are a wise long-term purchase. Oak doors can be energy efficient too; a solid wood door is a good insulator and will help stabilise room temperatures all year round whilst also helping to reduce heating bills by keeping warm air exactly where you intend it to stay.

A Thing of Beauty

Heritage Solid Oak Door from The Heritage Collection

Above all, the sheer beauty and character of an oak finish must remain the most appealing feature of solid oak internal doors. Whether it is the timeless & quality appearance of a cottage interior, or the sheen and minimalist finish of a contemporary design, oak has the matchless abil

ity to make that definitive statement of class and character.

This piece was written by Liam Pettinger, writer for The Heritage Collection an online shop specialising in solid oak flooring, doors and stair parts.

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Postcards from Paris 1925 “Exposition Internationale Des Art Decoratifs”

Art Deco Postcard — Pavilion Mulhouse – Original 1925 Paris Exposition Des Arts Decoratifs postcard

Art Deco is my favourite period style in interior design and architecture. I love everything to do with the Roaring Twenties, society was changing dramatically with the emancipation of women through the flapper movement and many world pioneering brands were born such as fashion brands Chanel and Gucci. I love the styles of Coco Chanel and designers that were her contemporaries such as Italian Elsa Schiaparelli renown for signature “shocking pink” and her knitwear. Her designs were influenced by the Dadaists. Art Deco as a movement was originally born out of an exhibition in Paris in 1925 “Exposition Internationale Des Arts Decoratif” and the name Art Deco is simply a shortened version of this. I learnt French at an early age going on my first french exchange at the age of nine to Versailles. After this I was so impressed with the extravagance of the Palais de Versailles I believe that was one of the first times I thought about becoming an interior designer. I took many more trips to France over my school and college years taking French at GCSE and A-level and even a module of my interior design degree was in French. On one of my trips I came across some postcards on a streetside market as well as some original twenties newspapers called “Le Petit Echo De La Mode” which were fashion newspapers (I originally wanted to be a fashion designer from an early age too!) I had to buy them and still have them (there are many many images on Google of these). The postcards I still have too and they are original postcards from the Paris Exhibition of 1925 which I am posting here today. If you like these please also see the previous blogpost on my original New York World Fair postcards found on my honeymoon to New York!

Anyway what prompted me to write this is I’m now tentatively waiting for some postcards I’ve just bid on on Ebay of the Crystal Palace which was known as the “Great Exhibition of 1851”, as I felt having a London exhibition set to go with the New York and Paris ones was a must even if they are a little earlier in history! I can see them under some clocks if I ever get a design studio up and running. If I get them I will post them on here. Do you collect anything from the past if so what I’d love to hear how it started?

Pavillon De La Ville De Paris 1925 — Postcard from 1925 Paris Exhibition Internationale Des Art Decoratifs

Ville De Nuit – original postcard from Paris 1925 Exhibition Des Arts Decoratifs

Designing Your Hotel VIP Suite to Maximise ROI

A private spa bath is a necessity for a VIP or Bridal Suite in a luxury hotel today in order to maximise your return on investment and be able to offer private spa treatments, but what facilities should be provided around this?

Well let’s enter into our suite via a lobby for example, which would have a focal point with an elegant piece of furniture such as a console with a beautiful bowl or objet d’art upon it. Aside from the reception lounge and dining area and guest w.c. what would a VIP guest expect?

The suite should be located adjacent to a couples treatment room that has two treatment couches, storage for spa equipment and a wash hand basin for the therapists use. Guests would also need access to two separate showers as if they were for example both to have a body wrap treatment they would need to wash this off to finish the treatment process.

Attention should be paidby the interior designer to the materials used in each of the rooms; so that it is in keeping with the location, period and context of the hotel, region and country. Authenticity is key to providing as luxurious experience as possible.

Spacious vanity areas for grooming and double wash hand basins should be provided in the area with a w.c. and a separate dressing area should be provided if possible.

There should be a relaxing area for post spa time with furniure such as daybeds or chaise longues to lounge on in bathrobes. Also in a warmer climate an outdoor relaxation area should be provided with a panoramic view where possible. If there is a private pool area then care needs to be taken to choose elegant water resistant furniture for the poolside with loungers and small tables.

VIP guests expect spa toiletries of good quality to be complimentary to their stay as well as small luxury gifts such as wine, flowers and chocolates.

If there is room a small sauna and steam cabin may also be provided but this is not always possible.

Smart technology can also be incorporated so that the guests stay can be tailored to greet them on the the flat screen tv, they can easily dim lights to suit their moods and open large blinds or curtains without having to get up. It can also be used for the different lighting scenes needed in the VIP couples treatment room.

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Rachel Bogdaniec of Spinriver Design ltd can provide spa design to hotels incorporating these important factors plus many more to make the most of the space available in your hotel and ensure that every square metre is making you the best return on investment. We work closely with local furniture, smart technology (availble to new build and retrofit) and soft furnishing suppliers to ensure that you get the best possible design and a finish to impress.

We’d love to hep you get it right! Ask a question for free on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/SpinriverDesign or leave a comment here if you prefer!