A Nod To Nostalgia

The other day I read the reason why 90’s/00’s Romantic Comedies aren’t as successful as they once were.

They are too predictable, the boy always gets the girl etc.

Hollywood shifted their narrative to more all singing and dancing blockbusters.

Both points are valid and there have been some amazing films post the “90’s/00’s rom com era, but there is something so comforting and feel good about rewatching let’s say… 10 Things I hate About You or Pretty Woman. I personally love the predictability of them, me, my pyjamas, a bowl of popcorn and a sense of safe. This got me thinking about how we at Nelson and Long design spaces and could we take elements from this media to make our spaces feel more comforting and unique for the students who reside there? In a recent report by Havas Health & You it stated that 53% of Gen Z consumers felt more anxious post Covid. This figure isn’t surprising, however it is alarming! This coupled with knowing people close to me who have anxiety is the driver of this blog today.

Even though rom coms aren’t as popular as they once were, they are having a resurgence and it’s easy to see why. When the environment around us is unpredictable (cost of living, environmental issues and daily news) we crave stability, security, some sense of rhythm and repetition. We as designers need to provide spaces that mimic these qualities that allow people to feel safe and comfortable in.

The Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) is an ever-evolving sector because designers look to cherry-pick certain elements and inspiration from other sectors, such as hospitality, to incorporate into their vision in order to enhance the consumer experience. We can look to that sector for some ideas, but are PBSA designers guilty of taking too much from their hospitality counterparts and not focusing enough on developing a student specific design? Hospitality demographics vary more greatly, and the customers will stay for shorter periods of time, whereas PBSA resident’s demographics are less varied in regard to age and vocation, but more so in socioeconomic and cultural background, so we simply can’t afford to copy and paste all the same practices from our findings over or we run the risk of providing interiors that aren’t student specific. It’s helpful to take things from similar and successful sectors, but it’s also imperative to look at different design styles and eras, analyse why and what worked and build a solid design foundation.

Another thing that springs to mind is how do hotel-like interiors prepare students for after their studies, as many won’t be able to sustain that lifestyle without aid? So, are all singing and dancing interiors sometimes a hindrance if they are too high end? Nostalgic home away from home interiors can come in at a lower price point because you can incorporate vintage furniture and more budget conscious finishes. Will these polished hotel style interiors draw Generation Alpha? Or will they crave more nostalgic or stripped back, cosy interiors that cushion from social media and the outside noise. They will be the most connected, and dare I say permanently fixated, on tech generation, so they will surely need quiet safe spaces to retreat to aid wellbeing and mental health issues.

Moving to university is one of the most transitional times of a young adult’s life and many will be looking for home away from home spaces. This brings me back to my earlier movie reference; we should think about how those comforting and safe feelings can be incorporated to ease the student’s transition. Let’s explore a nod to past eras design-wise, back to basics (connection to nature) and life skills development.

A Nod to Past Eras

What words come to mind when you think of nostalgia... memories, family, happiness? Well, those are just a few that come to mine and are things or feelings that I like spaces to embody, as I’m sure many of you can agree. Also, safe, I may add, as places where we feel the safest often have a nod to nostalgia as it reminds us of a simpler time free from responsibility and societal pressures.

As designers there is so much that feeds us from past eras, they are an infinite source of inspiration to embrace and learn from understandably.

So, let’s try and muster up a memory together, remember being young and visiting your eldest nearest and dearest, those bright happy spaces filled with warmth, fun and an abundance of freedom. Remember that space vividly, bring those memories to the forefront of your mind and emulate those in an interior, nice right?

There’s a reason why people have such an interest in programmes, like Sex Education with its ironically cool fashion and creative set design and Daisy Jones and the Six with its transcendent music and hippy vibes. The common thread that people love about these programmes is its nod to nostalgia, so why not take these feel-good traits and incorporate these into a modern-day space?

Let’s lean in, explore, and create interiors that have a slight juxtaposition to your ‘traditional social spaces’. Even the phrase social space could be stripped back to be simply a ‘space’. The spaces that are often provided don’t necessarily warrant being social in. Not every student is naturally social, or even wants to be. If we’ve learnt anything it’s that one size does not fit all. We at N+L envisage that with careful, thoughtful design choices and inspiration from the past, these connected spaces can achieve our main goal, which is to support the students.

What does a nostalgic interior look like, I hear you say? Well… let’s start by paying homage to the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s with ergonomically shaped furniture, a clever use of colour, texture, pattern and print, with an abundance of natural materials and the odd glass brick or two, maybe?

A nostalgic colour palette is earthy, warm and balanced with expected pops of colour and throwback scents creating atmospheric spaces.

We also love the idea of themed spaces linked with mood and colour psychology, so they are emotive and emit positivity, this layered approach ends with more considerate and sympathetic spaces.

I think interiors-wise a nod to nostalgia is such an interesting, fun and unique concept we are eager to explore further, because the evidence of nostalgia and link to feeling good is clearly there, just close your eyes and have a think back to that memory we mustered up earlier together.

Back to basics (connection to nature)

Back to basics and back to another memory. Imagine a time when you were barefoot, thick blades of green grass underfoot. How did you feel? A sense of calm, connection and freedom I hazard a guess? Our connection to nature is hardwired and the way we feel outside can bring waves of nostalgia and peace, which is why incorporating green spaces and making them feel connected to the interior of a student space is so important. Green spaces are idyllic and signify new beginnings and growth – how apt for student accommodation.

Remember ‘playing out’, has the idea of that gone? ‘Playing out’ for me meant meeting my friends and an abundance of green and nature. iPhones, Androids and relentless social media seem to have diverted the minds of most of the Gen Z generation, so it would be great to navigate them back to simpler times by replicating that nostalgic feeling and celebrating the joyous connection between interior and exterior spaces.

A simple way to connect the interior and exterior is by having a similar colour palette running throughout. Use a plethora of natural colours such as greens, blues and yellows as a base, accent colours can populate the accessories and specific planting, so there is cohesion throughout. Allotment style planting is also a great way to encourage the students to start building a vibrant community and encourage ownership of the space.

Often outdoor areas can lack adequate lighting (solar/festoon lights) or facilities (shelter) to entice the students to use most months, so these things need to be considered. Interiors are high priority and can have more thought put into them, but having a synergy between interior and exterior spaces opens the plan up and allows the spaces to work in tandem.

We here at N+L love the idea of playing with scale when it comes to outdoor spaces, a nod to being young when everything in the world seemed so much bigger than ourselves. Large planting, paired with colour blocked furniture and an expanse of warm lighting – a reminiscent space for the students to create their own memories.

Life Skills Development

When you left your home and attended university, did you feel equipped with the right skills to get by? Could you cook a healthy meal and properly look after yourself? I know of few of my peers who couldn’t boil much more than a pan of pasta (ok maybe more than a few), but wouldn’t it have been amazing if university accommodation was designed to help further develop these skills?

At university we all came from different walks of life and had experienced different things, but what bonded us was that we were all going to embark on this next chapter of our lives together. We were all going to learn and grow as individuals and our accommodation would be the landscape to do this in.

University can be a challenging time, so why not help to decrease a student’s stress level by providing support for day-to-day tasks that will help with their overall mental and physical health. We love the idea of workshop spaces to accommodate make and mend (sewing), cooking classes, gardening and DIY. There could be classes to show the students the basics, then the spaces after would encourage learning and self-sufficiency. By facilitating such activities, you are opening up the life skills door even further and enabling problem solving, creativity and critical thinking.

These classes and activities in a sense feel nostalgic - a nod to past decades of social change and creative experimentation, which aligns with a view of today’s world. Besides being fun, these activities are highly educational and are apt to learn alongside a student’s studies.

The roadmap of the future of student accommodation design is ever evolving with the influence from other sectors, but we love the concept of looking to the past to influence the future. Students are craving home away from home interiors and a nod to nostalgia, interior-wise, certainly provides that. These cosy interiors not only provide safety and solace but encourage a sense of community and manage student’s expectations after university, because of their realistic and accessible aesthetic.

At N+L we want our designs to sing to the soul and connect with the mind, so we are looking forward to further exploring the exciting dialogue between old and new within the themes of nostalgia, but for now I better watch… You’ve Got Mail, purely for educational purposes, of course.

N+LX

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