Student living in East London is messy but fun. The walls were bare, but we dragged in whatever we could find. IKEA lasts a term at best, so we hunted retro. Another dragged a chair from Camden. It felt like Shoreditch, but that’s why it worked. Funky retro seating has character, and students get that instinctively. I’ve watched half my flat pass out across two chairs, and the sofa vintage retro was another character in the story. Markets spill chairs onto the streets, and shops in the area thrive on it.
One afternoon I stumbled into Smithers, unique armchair and everything felt alive, not plastic. we were broke students, couch armchair but it’s the pride of the living room. We’ve all shoved sofas through windows. It’s part of student life. Furniture with scars feels built for students. Mass production doesn’t care, but old sofas age into character. Every scratch adds more story. When you’re moving out, the stress disappears, but the armchair stays in your mind. Next time you walk past a market, forget the catalogue shine.
Take home something with scars, and make it part of your story.
