A waiting room: perhaps you imagine a perspex enclosed space with rows of metal seats on a station platform. A bit chilly, boring, sterile devoid of stimulation. It may be the dentist or the doctor you think of. Recently I passed the windows of the GP practice I attended as a child and was astonished to recognise the drab walls and brown chairs. I could only hope the magazines weren't half a century out of date!  Some waiting spaces however are decorated with pictures, have comfortable seating and play corners for children.