The Common Thread

The Lived Experience Episode

Welcome to The Common Thread: The Lived Experience Episode. We listened - not just to students, but to interior design students, giving us both lived experience and trained spatial insight. Key takeaways: • Location is wellbeing — access to green space, social spots, and campus isn’t convenience, it’s regulation. • If you get it right, they’ll tell everyone — trust and recommendation fill beds faster than marketing. • Kitchens aren’t working for students — furniture, storage, and layouts ignore the user journey. Getting the fundamentals right fosters connection. • Light matters — natural light and ambient layers should be considered from the architectural stage. • Communal spaces matter — compact bedrooms mean communal areas must support decompression, socialising, and mental health. Students aren’t asking for luxury. They’re asking for spaces that help them feel confident, connected, and considered, designed with them, not just for them.

The Social Reset

Welcome to the next episode of The Common Thread: “The Social Reset”. This episode explores stepping away from digital overwhelm and designing spaces that feel safe, comfortable, and human, places that allow connection, vulnerability, and the small moments that really matter. In this episode we cover: • Students craving analogue hobbies, craft, and texture in their spaces • Interiors that prioritise presence over performance • Amenities that support making, not just consuming • Warm, lived-in, emotionally intelligent environments • Why fundamentals like colour palettes and finishes quietly build community and wellbeing If you’re curious about what a more thoughtful, human approach to student living looks like, this episode is for you.

At Home, Away From Home

We sat down with James Greenwood, Head of Residential Life and Communications at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) , to talk about what really matters in student living. Highlights: • Fundamentals first — finishes, colour, and strong design foundations shape how a space feels. • Home away from home — especially for international students, neurodiverse cohorts, and first-time movers. • Natural light — essential for calm, healthy, uplifting spaces. • Repurposed furniture — sustainable and makes spaces feel relaxed and layered. We also explored the future of PBSA and why wellbeing-focused design must start at the very beginning. Shoutout to Robeson House, LSE’s new accommodation halls, a great example of student-first, thoughtful design. Thank you, James, for your insight, honesty, and passion the sector is stronger because of it.

Homes That Hold - Emotional Design in Shared Living

What makes a shared living space truly feel like home? In our first podcast of the year, we explore Homes That Hold - spaces designed to be emotionally in tune, nurturing, and deeply human. Alicia and Jess share their design intentions for 2025, unpacking emotional sustainability, wellness-led design, and how experience-rich spaces can support authentic living in shared environments.

Next Gen Living Spaces

What do students really want from the spaces they’ll call home? In this episode of The Common Thread, interior designer and lecturer Jonathan Forster shares insights from students and future designers, exploring how shared and student living spaces can support wellbeing, connection, and creativity. From sustainability to culturally informed design, discover how the next generation is reshaping the way we live.