The Importance of Using An Interior Designer When It Comes to Student Accommodation

Summer installs are well and truly in our rear-view mirror for this year, so it’s time to reflect and refocus. This time of the year is a critical and beneficial period for us. We critique and commend what we have achieved and look forward to working on new projects for next year’s intake, or sometimes a rolling refurb – which is always fun!

At N&L we have been collectively designing student accommodation for over 15 years and although we think we have mastered the art, we find we are always learning more and more as each year goes by. The world is an ever-changing landscape, so it is our duty, as PBSA interior design specialists, to provide students with spaces that support, comfort, inspire and are responsive to their needs.

Design by @nelsonandlong

As we look forward and think about what trends are emerging, there are some things much more important to consider. What do students need? What do students want? These fundamental questions must be asked and answered before interior design can be considered. The role of a PBSA interior designer is not one of just colours and finishes, we have a responsibility to provide designs that aid wellbeing, support the students through this transitional time in their life and ultimately create a home away from home for them.

Interior design in its own right is a vital tool in enabling and enhancing the student experience. An invaluable tool that can invoke and awaken the senses, but of course understanding the fundamentals and why, how and who we are creating these interiors for is important.

Flat lay design by @nelsonandlong

Using considered and considerate interior design can only benefit those who are surrounded by it.

I want to touch on a few points that are always at the forefront of our minds at N&L when designing. These fundamental things that need to be considered go hand in hand and can be achieved with the right interior design input.

Designing with Wellbeing in mind

First and foremost, student wellbeing is something that must be considered when designing.

When you google student wellbeing you are met with many articles and suggestions on how to personally improve your wellbeing like (just to name a few) getting a good night’s sleep, getting some sort of physical activity, eat a balanced diet – including treats. These are all great, and will no doubt have a positive effect on your state of mind, but what if your surroundings just don’t cut it? Two out of three of the above suggestions will more than likely take place in your accommodation (cooking and sleeping). So, these spaces need to be carefully created and mindful of the students’ needs and wants. Not only is interior design about aesthetics, it goes hand in hand with functionality and space planning with the right floor plan and finishes it will be evident that the wellbeing of the student has been prioritised. It is no good if spaces “look” good, but don’t work as they should.

Colour psychology is also an important tool that, when used correctly, will help aid a student’s wellbeing. Colour shouldn’t just be applied because it’s in fashion, colour should be applied because of the positive effects it can have on an individual’s mood. It’s all about understanding what colour will encourage subconsciously or support the student in whatever task they are doing. Also, the project locality, orientation and natural light should all be considered when choosing the right colours for your project. Colours can change in an instant depending on what time of day or month it is - they are beautiful, they are emotive, they are storytellers. It just depends on what story you want to tell as to where you apply them. Colour has the capability to stimulate, suppress, engage, and excite (just to name a few) – it’s amazing really. Interior design is a valuable tool, that’s why we love taking our time on each scheme, perfecting the optimum and appropriate colour palette that will work for the residents and have a positive impact.

Design by @nelsonandlong

Understanding How to Personalise a Space

The ability to personalise a space can sometimes be overlooked, in our opinion. We have seen providers provide not enough opportunities to personalise, so the spaces can seem lacklustre. We have also seen providers who put too much into a space or it just represents their brand with not much room for the students to feel at home.

Well, where is the sweet spot I hear you ask? It’s all about balance, you can still have a minimalistic feel if you so desire, a busier design, or a strong brand identity, whilst the space still feels that it is the students’ own. Personalisation isn’t just about adding pinboards and chalkboards (very useful tools in their own right) but creating an environment that embodies what the students are about. An environment that considers their interests and the world they are living in. Ask the students what they want in the spaces, engage, and respond. As soon as they enter their respective buildings they should feel at home and safe.

Focus groups and questionnaires are a great way for providers to find what their students want. We, as interior designers, can then translate this information into how the space should feel, a place of warmth, a haven, a literal cushion from the outside world. Interior designers understand the user’s journey and how best to personalise the space to suit the students residing there. Personalising a space doesn’t have to be so literal, it should be a thought provoking back and forth conversation, always bearing in mind the student.

Design by @nelsonandlong

Creating Communities

The aim of any provider is to create an environment where students can interact with one another and make lasting bonds. Spaces should be equipped to facilitate activities such as cooking, study, and play. Although all these things can be done alone, sometimes they will be done in a group setting – which can be even more fun (both group and alone activities need to be catered for though, of course). Providing the means to do so will end in a successful scheme. More often than not, if you are encouraged to socialise in comfortable surroundings, you will. It’s all about making spaces accessible, enticing, and exciting.

University is such a thrilling time of your life and one where you meet lots of people from different backgrounds, who you may never have interacted with unless you were there. It is a transitional time where you are not only learning your chosen subject, but you are learning about your peers and your new landscape. Interior design can be a fantastic way to further educate the students by providing them with spaces that appreciate and welcome diversity. Because our job is to research, look for inspiration and trend forecast, we know how to infuse and understand different cultures and interior design styles. Always being on the move, travelling nationwide and further afield for work and play, we have been lucky enough to visit some amazing places and have been privy to so much invaluable and incomparable inspiration. Even regionally, different trends and customs can vary significantly. It is all about understanding and implementing these differences if desired. Providing interiors that will enable students to create communities is high on our agenda, as having a strong support network around them can only have a positive effect.

Design by @nelsonandlong

The Value of Design

You can’t deny that when something looks good you can’t help but want to further explore -you eat with your eyes, they say. Well, I wouldn’t take a bite out of a sofa, but you know what I’m getting at! Interior design is very useful; many people hear the word interior design and think it will be a costly exercise – well not necessarily.

Interior design should be seen as an investment. An investment in the students, an investment in the community, an investment in the future. By appointing a designer, you are showing that you value the occupiers, and you want to give them the best interiors within your means, you are showing that you care about their wellbeing. In the last 10 years, luckily the want and need for interior designers to deliver design-led spaces for the PBSA market has increased significantly, most providers clearly have some design input and that is amazing to see. Because at the end of the day it’s about offering the best accommodation possible to the students, so that they can concentrate on their studies without worrying about their surroundings (because that is one thing they should not have to worry about). Good interior design is also a great way to brand yourself, set a precedent, be market leaders and stand out from the crowd. Who doesn’t want the best student accommodation not just for the students, but for them, right (something to be very proud of)?

Design by @nelsonandlong

Home Away from Home

Although a thrilling time, university can also be a daunting and turbulent time for students. Moving countries or cities, meeting new friends, and learning new subjects. That’s a lot for even the most confident and independent of us, but pair that with global and political issues, and well what do we have? Well, it’s a lot!

Enter interior design! Interior design cannot solve these issues directly, but it certainly can indirectly and provide a haven and cocoon you if you so wish. When I say home away from home, I am referring to providing interiors that have a similarity to interiors where the students may have interacted or been before. Places where people have a familiarity to, can have a positive psychological effect, you open up and let down your barriers. Although university ultimately is a place to study and get a degree, it is somewhere where the students will be spending a minimum of three years at, so the interiors that are offered need to support and comfort them on their journey. The right spaces can make this transitional journey easier for them and will aid their wellbeing. The design for the communal spaces is a great opportunity to get creative and clever, a time for exploration and ingenuity. Social spaces should be an extension of the outside world similar to places where the students may visit in their free time and feel content in. Whereas in our opinion the bedrooms should be a more pared back design, with just a few finishes and clever materiality choices, with the right combination you can achieve a calm, warm and welcoming aesthetic – perfect for the students. The student bedroom is like no other, as in that it has many functions all which vary greatly. So extra and careful thought must go into these spaces, so that they can get the best out of them and it caters to all their needs. Creating the perfect home away from home requires extensive research including visits to the local student haunts – certainly a part of the job we don’t mind.

Design by @nelsonandlong

The right interior design (keyword being “right”) is imperative to creating considered and amazing student accommodation. Where the students reside should be a haven and a place, they can be their best selves, which will enable them to achieve great things. Accommodation should be a place that nurtures personal growth and aids wellbeing. Interior design is a building block, that when teamed with the right client vision and student input, amongst other things, will end in a carefully curated site-specific scheme. Working in collaboration with the students (directly or indirectly) and providers is an integral part of the design process and asking the right questions and making sure that students’ expectations are surpassed is a must when designing. The right design should be equipping the students not only with the tools to tackle their studies, but for what’s after university, enabling and encouraging independence. Providers and interior designers have a duty to offer the best they can for current and future students. An investment in interior design for the student sector is an investment in the future.

Over and out N&LX