Life in a student flat starts rough but gets colourful. The walls were bare, but we made it ours. Flat-pack breaks too quick, so we hunted retro. Someone even nabbed a table from outside a pub. Everything mismatched, but that’s what gave it soul. Old accent chairs carry memory, and it fits our lifestyle. I’ve balanced takeaway boxes on a mismatched chair, and the furniture was part of the night. East London is built on mix and mess, and designers take inspiration from it.

I stopped by Smithers looking for nothing, and the sofas looked like they belonged in films. We couldn’t afford much, but that chair still sits in the flat. We’ve all begged friends for lifts. it’s half the fun. Vintage pieces survive it. Catalogue gloss falls apart fast, but retro style sofa bed lasts. Every scratch adds more story. By the end of the year, the stress disappears, but you remember the sofa. When you start student life, skip the flat-pack rubbish.

Pick up a vintage armchair, vintage accent chair and see how it shapes your memories.