Life in a student flat starts rough but gets colourful. The kitchen had a dodgy kettle, but we made it ours. New custom furniture designs is soulless, so we hunted retro. Another dragged a chair from Camden. The colours clashed, but that’s what made it real. Retro armchairs have weight, and it fits our lifestyle. I’ve fallen asleep in a battered armchair with a book, and the chairs became mates. East London is built on mix and mess, and students rely on it.

We wandered past Smithers one Saturday, and the place was full of funky retro chairs. We couldn’t afford much, but everyone fights to sit in it. We’ve all begged friends for lifts. it’s half the fun. Vintage pieces survive it. Mass production doesn’t care, but real pieces stay alive. every dent becomes part of the flat. After exams and chaos, the cracked window gets forgotten, but you remember the sofa.

If you find yourself in a Shoreditch flat, leave the glossy showrooms behind. Grab a retro sofa, and let it carry your student nights.