When I moved to Shoreditch I had nothing but a mattress. The flat looked more squat than home, but we gave it soul with furniture. IKEA lasts a term at best, so we searched markets. We carried a wingback through Dalston. It looked like chaos, but that’s what made it ours. Retro armchairs have weight, fabric and leather couches we care more about story than gloss. I’ve fallen asleep in a battered armchair with a book, and retro accent chairs the chairs became mates. East London is built on mix and mess, and shops in the area thrive on it.

I stopped by Smithers looking for nothing, and the vintage armchairs carried scars I loved. we left with just one piece, but it’s survived three house parties and a flood. Every student flat tells the same story. it’s how you build a home. Vintage pieces survive it. Catalogue gloss falls apart fast, but real pieces stay alive. every dent becomes part of the flat. When you’re moving out, funky chair the stress disappears, but the vintage pieces carry the whole story.

Next time you walk past a market, ignore the fake polish. Grab a retro sofa, and let it carry your student nights.