Reimagining shared spaces to better support everyday student life
Client Now Student Living
Project Role Interior Design, Compliance
Scale 437 bedrooms
Status Complete
Reimagining student living through warmer, more connected shared spaces at Exchange Works in Sheffield.
Exchange Works is a 437-bed student residence in Sheffield and our sixth project with Now Student Living. While the building already played an important role in the city’s student offer, its entrance and shared spaces no longer reflected how students live today.
Reimagining shared spaces through practical, people-focused interior design.
The brief was clear: move away from anything institutional and create spaces that feel welcoming, intuitive and genuinely supportive of daily student life — places that encourage connection, comfort and ease from the moment residents arrive.
We began by rethinking the arrival experience. A redesigned entrance sequence now sets a warmer, more human tone, helping residents feel at home as soon as they step inside. Behind the scenes, a more efficient back-of-house layout supports staff to work better and build stronger day-to-day relationships with students.
Across the building, our interiors team introduced a series of practical, people-focused interventions. A new grab-and-go kitchen supports busy, flexible routines, while upgraded amenities — including a gym, refreshed lounge and study spaces, and relocated laundry — free up space for more meaningful communal use. New areas for collaboration create natural opportunities for socialising, studying and unwinding together.
The interior concept takes inspiration from the nearby Peak District, weaving a subtle “picnic in the peaks” narrative throughout the scheme. Bold rugs and wallpapers, inspired by traditional picnic blankets, add warmth, familiarity and a sense of place — small details that make shared spaces feel relaxed rather than transient.
As a Higher-Risk Building, the project also required a rigorous and collaborative approach to safety and compliance. Our team worked closely across disciplines to meet all current regulatory requirements, achieving our first Gateway 2 approval — an important milestone in the delivery of safe, future-ready interiors.
Enhancing everyday student living through warmer, more connected spaces.
The reimagined spaces at Exchange Works are designed to make everyday student life feel easier, more social and more uplifting. From a welcoming first impression to shared areas that encourage people to spend time together, the project strengthens both the lived experience for residents and the long-term appeal of the building for Now Student Living.
By focusing on how students actually move, meet and live day to day, Exchange Works demonstrates how thoughtful interior design can quietly but powerfully improve the experience of urban living.
