As the sector readies for a new generation of students to enter campuses — Generation Alpha — a few of the ‘tried and true’ amenity spaces that were hot with millennials or Gen Z have fallen by the wayside. Golf simulators, movie theaters and bohemian styling with baskets and lots of greenery are just a few of the once popular design choices that are now on the outs, according to Lucy Harrison, brand marketing manager with SouthPark Interiors.
Gone, too, are the days of designing one ‘Instagramable’ moment for your building and calling it a day, says Chelsea Kloss, executive vice president of design and curation with LV Collective. “Students want to live in a building that is beautiful and inspiring from all angles — not just with one space built for ‘the gram,’” she says. “They want not only to capture more organic content to share, but to experience it real-time. As designers, that challenges us to push the envelope on experiential design and the importance of finishing all aspects of a built environment.”
Students’ desires for their fitness and wellness spaces have also seen a shift over the past few years, according to Kloss. “Designing spaces that are specific to a single activity such as spin rooms ultimately pigeonholes your ability to shift and adapt to the latest iteration of fitness,” she says. “As a result, we are intentionally designing flexible rooms within our properties to allow us to implement the latest and greatest — from technology to equipment — that will best serve our specific market at any given time.”
Gray and achromatic color palettes are also no longer en vogue, notes Esther Puffer, lead interior designer with Mood Interior Designs. “Students now favor warm, inviting and comfortable spaces over those with a formal aesthetic with grays and neutral color palettes,” she says. “This trend reflects a desire for environments that feel more like home, emphasizing casual and approachable interiors with vibrant colors, soft textures and personalized touches.”
Study spaces with provided computers are also becoming a thing of the past, according to Sara Dement, founder and CEO of Dement Designs. “Most residents already have at least two devices, rendering a provided computer unnecessary, though we are still seeing provided printers in study spaces,” she says, noting the firm has been asked to redesign or repurpose a number of media rooms with provided computers and tiered theater seating in recent renovation projects.
The current wish list
In lieu of one “Instagramable” backdrop for student use, designers are creating all spaces with social media in mind. “Great natural light and a strategically placed full-length mirror go a long way for those ‘outfit of the day shots,’” says Kloss.
Current student hobbies and the spaces where they choose to spend their leisure time are also factored into the design equation at LV Collective. “We’ve seen a huge uptick in the infatuation around thrifting for student apparel and we love to incorporate vintage and secondhand finds into our properties,” says Kloss. “There is something approachable about a piece with a little history and patina, and students seem to gravitate to our more nostalgic furniture that is sprinkled across the property.”
“Looking to the places where students choose to spend their free time and their surplus money as a means of pleasure and then recreating that in their home environment is a recipe for success,” she adds.
Jill Pierce of design firm Loona, which frequently collaborates with student housing development firm Parallel, agrees, noting vintage-found finds are at the top of the current student’s design wish list. “This group’s love of plants is also strong, so adding biophilic elements really resonates,” she says. “Gallery walls with picture collages and artwork of various mediums is also popular for student housing projects. This group is also more partial to elevated spaces. Illuminated signs with catchy phrases are on the way out. We want to create the ‘GOOD VIBES’ without the sign.”
Integration of the latest technology offerings is also important to the current generation of students. “Amenity spaces that prioritize technology integration with features like smart locks, smart laundry, package systems, package management solutions and smart thermostats are not only convenient but also increasingly expected,” says Puffer.
And while hyper-focused exercise spaces are waning in popularity, wellness spaces that help students tackle their emotional health as well as their physical health are on the rise. “Steam rooms, cold plunge tubs, rooms with aromatherapy and low light levels for meditation and ‘tech-free’ lounges outside the fitness center are all growing in popularity for student housing developments,” says Dement.
Hospitality-focused design also continues to be popular with students, with the design methodology said to be “paving the future in student housing,” according to Dale Hope, senior interior design manager at Landmark Properties.
“This approach makes residents feel pampered and at ease,” he says. “High-quality finishes, thoughtful design and excellent service mimic the feel of a luxury hotel. The goal is for students to feel as though they are not merely renting an apartment. This kind of approach makes a huge difference in creating long-term appeal and value.”
Key elements that lend to hospitality-minded design and foster a welcoming atmosphere, according to Hope, include the use of varied finishings with different colors, textures and patterns, which help to create a dynamic atmosphere; comfortable seating spread across multiple areas; and retail or market options near the lobby as options for residents.
Curated convenience offerings are also growing in popularity, according to Tezja Panzik, studio director of interior design with Forum Architecture. “We are seeing a growing desire to have curated vending areas — from grab-and-go snacks to rentable household items — that are provided to students without incurring extra cost, and storage commitments such as crock pots and vacuum cleaners,” she says.
And several amenity offerings that became popular during the pandemic are continuing to prove popular. “Pet-related amenities, which grew in popularity during COVID, have gained significant traction in student housing,” says Joseph Ahmadi, principal with Lessard Design. “We’re observing an increasing number of students arriving with pets, signaling a growing demand for pet-friendly living environments. This trend has led to an increase of amenities such as dog parks, pet washing stations and pet-friendly common areas.”
“The surge in online shopping has also necessitated expanded package management solutions,” he continues. “Many student housing developments now feature sophisticated package rooms with secure lockers and digital notification systems.”
But at the end of the day, the most important aspect of student housing design is safety, according to Josh Kassing, senior vice president at Mary Cook Associates. “A student’s top wish list items are to feel safe, supported, accepted and important — it’s not about blue or green,” he says. “They want their social life to blur with their educational experience and to craft a vision of what their future could be. It’s not about any particular light fixture or that one accent wallcovering. It’s about the curated interior condition that inspires a specific, authentic experience that makes them feel part of that community.”
More importantly, Kassing notes, designers and developers should create environments that resonate with the specifics of the student body they’re designing for. “Imagine a child’s wish list for Santa — a snowboard might not appear on every list,” he adds. “It’s a great gift, but it’s not relevant to everyone. Now imagine the list of a 10-year-old living in Breckenridge, Colorado — there, a snowboard would likely top the list because it fits their environment, adds value and enhances their experience. Interiors for students need to do the same. Their wish lists reflect their environment and values.”
Economic impact
One might expect the tricky financing environment to have a major impact on the design industry, but for firms like Mood Interior Designs, the gap in ground-up construction has been filled by property renovation projects. Still, developers are looking to make the most of their design budget and to make every dollar count. The key to achieving this goal? Prioritization, according to Puffer.
“This means focusing on spaces that will see the most use and have the biggest impact,” she says. Think high traffic areas like TV lounges and study spaces. “These areas might get a larger portion of the budget, allowing for more expensive features like wallcoverings, tile, custom millwork and furnishings.”
Less trafficked spaces — like hallways or laundry rooms — can then be designed in a more cost-effective way. “The goal is to ensure every space feels intentional and thoughtfully designed, while tailoring the level of investment to how frequently a space will be used.”
Kassing agrees, noting good design is not about spending the most money but about putting the dollars in the right places. “Knowing the financial parameters up front, understanding the resources that best align with those parameters and staying in communication with those resources is what gets us there,” he says. “We’ve had financial hurdles, just like everyone, but we’ve never allowed the design intent to suffer as a result — it’s just a matter of strategy.”
Budgetary conflicts, like many other arguments, often come down to miscommunication, Kassing adds. “We, as an industry, need to do better about budgetary resolution — something outside of an Excel spreadsheet,” he says. “When we pick up the phone, have a discussion and understand what is driving the cost increase, we’re able to solve it 90 percent of the time. Everyone needs to have the discussion and understand the ‘why’ behind the dollar.”
Close work with one’s suppliers can also help to make your design budget go further, according to Brett Rhode, founding director of Rhode Partners. “We work closely with our materials vendors to discover a range of durable, beautiful, honest and budget conscious materials,” he says. “We find that this forthright materiality lends itself to place and space making, which saves on cost during construction and ensures that the end product withstands the test of time.”
From the developer perspective, the tricky financing environment really hasn’t had a material impact on budget for design, according to Hope of Landmark Properties. “Developers recognize the importance of maintaining high-quality finishes, furniture and lighting as part of the overall project investment,” he says.
“The interior design budget also typically makes up a small fraction of the total project cost,” he adds. “Given the outsized impact the design of the building has relative to its share of the total project budget, we have not seen material impacts on budgets for design. If adjustments to design budgets are needed, we typically look at adjusting design selections such that we can maintain the overall aesthetic while reducing the overall design spend.”
Noelle Diprizio, managing director of design at Core Spaces, agrees, noting the firm is trying to be smarter with how it spends its dollars and on where they focus funds with regard to design.
“We are looking for longer lasting, more durable finishes and materials when it comes to the surfaces in our buildings and also investing in better furniture throughout so that the pieces will last longer and the operational cost of our buildings can be reduced,” she says. “We have also become more creative when it comes to spending on artwork by enlisting artisans to create custom pieces using found materials that also touch on the nostalgic vibe that is on trend right now.”
Building spaces with flexibility is another great way to make your investment last, as things can easily be tweaked to the changing priorities of a new generation of students. “Flexible design should be part of the discussion for any project that is planned to be around a while,” says Melissa Borrmann, associate principal of interior design with Niles Bolton Associates. “The goal is to lengthen the life span of the project and allow users to adapt the space as their needs change over time.”
But it’s important to note that the economic environment is also weighing on the students that are living in these communities and should be considered when making design choices. “While the hospitality approach to design has been a growing trend in purpose-built student housing — offering appealing amenities and comfort — it also contributes to significant affordability issues and social divides among students,” says Ahmadi.
“I personally believe the direction of student housing should shift towards prioritizing education and community, viewing it as an extension of campus space rather than solely a competitive market driven by high rents,” he says. “Striking a balance between luxury, comfort and affordability should be key to ensuring that all students have access to quality housing options that support their academic success. That is what America is all about.”
Looking to the future
As the industry looks towards the future with Generation Alpha — a group that sum estimate to be the largest generation in the history of the world, according to Panzik — there are a number of burgeoning trends that need to be weighed.
Counter to what some might expect of the generation following the ‘internet native’ Gen Z, Generation Alpha is expected to be spending more time offline, according to Dement. “Video game usage has dropped and this generation is generally spending more time off their devices,” she says. “The impact this will have on student housing design is yet to be known, but my hypothesis is that they will want more spaces for experience — more areas for groups to meet, lounge, create and live.”
Panzik agrees, noting that this group is likely to place more value on social gathering and mental health as a response to being saturated by screens all day. “Wellness or quiet spaces where they can unplug and meditate are going to grow in popularity,” she says. “Humans have an innate need for connection and true connection is rooted in in-person interaction. Many students are away from home for the first time, and as interior designers, our job is to create open and flexible spaces that foster this interaction to help striving students thrive.”
Still, integrating the latest technological offerings will likely be a necessity for this up-and-coming generation of students. “I predict that residents will expect a community to have technology integrated into all aspects of the property,” says Pierce. “This will range from utilizing smart home technologies in units, to technology-driven study spaces and design-forward amenity spaces with access to curated experiences using virtual reality. Being a generation of creators, this aligns with an environment that has the comforts of home and appealing design that they want to be in.”
“I am a big believer in DIY spaces,” agrees Dement. “Whether that is space for a resident to set up and create content for a podcast, or creative space for a craft they saw on social media, students need and want to stretch, make their mark and experience all that the world offers. It is our job to provide the flexible space to grow and explore in this pivotal time in their lives.”
The inclusion of pet-friendly amenities like pet wash stations and dog runs are also expected to gain in popularity with the next generation of students, says Puffer. “What was once a niche consideration has now become a ‘must-have’ feature — not just in student housing but across multifamily and master-planned communities,” she says. “Pets are increasingly viewed as family members, and this mindset will likely shape design trends for years to come.”
But at the end of the day, good design isn’t about being on trend or trying to find an aesthetic that will never go out of style — it’s about observing and understanding your user and then curating spaces that enhance the way they live their lives, according to Kloss. “Great design means creating spaces where the resident feels seen as a unique individual and feels that their wants and needs were a driving force in the design direction,” she says.
—Katie Sloan
This article was originally published in the November/December 2024 issue of Student Housing Business magazine.