Interior of a modern coffee shop with black walls, wooden tables, and stools. A woman with glasses and a striped shirt sits at a table. A man is seated near a large arched window, drinking coffee.

Character over consumption

Interiors with conviction. Built to last

Two women sitting at a wooden table in a cozy café with exposed brick walls, one reading a book and the other looking at her phone. There are a laptop, books, a cup, and condiments on the table. A yellow ladder with flowers is in the background, and hanging basket-style lamps provide warm lighting.

Most interiors peak on install day. Mine start there.

I design residential and commercial interiors that are built to improve with age and to feel like yours alone.

The best interiors aren’t the newest or the most expensive.

They’re the ones people become emotionally attached to.

The ones they keep, look after and don’t want to leave behind.

Buying more isn’t a design strategy.

Good spaces come from good decisions, not endless consumption.

I help resolve interiors and joinery so projects run smoothly, working with joiners, fabricators, builders and craftspeople who make things properly—the sort of people who’d rather fix something than throw it away.

I’m interested in materials with character, longevity and the ability to get better with age. 

Most of all, I'm interested in creating spaces that feel unmistakably yours.

The kind that surprise you a little. The kind that feel right before you can explain why.

Spaces with conviction, built to last.




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Based in Ōtepoti, working across Central Otago

I work with

Clients who value substance over surface.
People who are decisive, curious, and willing to invest in getting it right.

Residential

For people building or reworking their homes properly.
Materials, proportion and longevity come first.
No rushed decisions.

Commercial

Hospitality, accommodation and workplace interiors built to last.
Interior design is treated as a long term investment in elevating your business, keeping it current and making it memorable.

The right interior becomes a big part of why people remember a business- and why they come back.

Owning successful hospitality businesses for over a decade, gives me a practical understanding of what makes people stay, return and remember a space.

Procurement

Where things either come together, or quietly fall apart.

I source pieces that are well made, considered, and right for the space — custom, vintage, or built properly.

A mix of old and new, with a focus on longevity and provenance.

Good interiors don’t need everything to be new- quite the opposite.

Consideration will always be given to the things you love that are already woven into your life.


Interior of a coffee shop with hanging light fixtures, a barista working behind the counter, and shelves with cups and supplies.
Interior of a modern restaurant or cafe with hanging pendant lights, a staircase on the left, tables, and chairs near the entrance, with a large window and an illuminated exit sign.
A cozy restaurant interior with pendant lighting, a wooden table, a black tufted leather booth, a vase with pink flowers, and a blurred person sitting by large windows.

Riah McLean Design - Ōtepoti

Photography - Isabella Harrex