How can interior design help to ease children’s fear of the dentist? This was the question brandherm + krumrey faced when designing the Smilestars dental practice in Cologne. “A visit to the dentist is fun” – this is the motto that the Smilestars practice would like to convey to children and young people in its premises. Despite a rather small area, the practice appears spacious and open. Seamless transitions between the individual areas take away the “threshold fear”. The waiting room, designed with children in mind, offers both distractions for younger patients and offerings for older ones, such as a comfortable circular sofa. The stress- and anxiety-free atmosphere is supported by bright, friendly colors as well as graphic motifs on the walls.