Moving into a student flat ain’t glamorous. The kitchen had a dodgy kettle, but we filled it with life. No student can afford Mayfair prices, so we searched markets. We carried a wingback through Dalston. Nothing matched the walls, but that’s what made it ours. Funky retro seating has character, and we care more about story than gloss. I’ve hosted ten people on one sagging retro sofa store, and those seats carried us.

Shoreditch is perfect for this life, and designers take inspiration from it. My flatmate dragged me into Smithers, and the vintage armchairs carried scars I loved. We couldn’t afford much, but it’s become the throne of the house. Ask around and you’ll hear it. it’s what makes memories. Retro sofas don’t care if you spill. Catalogue gloss falls apart fast, but real pieces stay alive. every dent becomes part of the flat. Once the parties are done, you don’t remember the kettle, modern leather armchairs but you remember the sofa.

So if you’re moving to London, leave the glossy showrooms behind. Take home something with scars, and make it part of your story.