Dental clinic lobby

The brief was deceptively simple: make patients want to sit down.

Most dental waiting rooms over-illuminate, over-pad, and over-screen. We did the opposite. A single linen banquette anchors the room, lit warmly from one direction. The reception desk reads as furniture, not infrastructure. Materials — limewashed plaster, oak, brushed brass — were chosen to age visibly rather than wear out.

Approach

We started by removing rather than adding. The drop ceiling came down. The fluorescent lighting went away. The branded merchandise wall was cut from the program entirely.

What's left is a space with one good bench, one good light, one good plant — and a front-of-house team that no longer apologizes for the room.

Materials

• Limewashed plaster walls (custom warm-white tone)
• Quarter-sawn white oak millwork
• Belgian linen banquette upholstery
• Brushed brass hardware and lighting