Late January is changeover season in student housing. Outgoing residents have gone, rooms are being cleaned and repaired, and a new intake arrives with suitcases before semester one. Good student accommodation furniture has to survive a full year of daily use and a thorough clean at every changeover, then do it again.
This guide is for operators of purpose-built student accommodation, residential colleges and shared student houses. It covers student accommodation furniture for bedrooms, common rooms, study rooms and kitchens, with seven products and their stated specs. For room desks, start with our home office desks.
Student rooms: a desk, a chair and a bookcase
Student rooms are small, so the desk has to fit beside the bed and wardrobe while still holding a laptop, books and a lamp. The Rapid Worker Desk (from $144) comes in five sizes from 900 x 600mm to 1800 x 900mm, all 730mm high. The 900mm and 1200mm widths, both 600mm deep, suit a compact room.
It has a 25mm thick top on 18mm sides, with cam and pin construction and side bolts for rigidity. Cable entry holes come standard, lockable drawers are available as an extra, and it carries a 5 year warranty. Choose Beech, Oak or White, each with an Ironstone base.
The chair takes the most wear in any room. The Vista Swivel Chair (from $307) has a single moulded polypropylene shell that its page describes as comfortable, strong and easy to clean. It swivels 360 degrees on a nylon five-star base with 60mm castors, and its seat height ranges from 420 to 515mm.
Fixed armrests come as standard, the chair is rated to 140kg and it carries a 10 year warranty. It comes in Black, Moss, Rust, Sky or White, so different floors or wings can each have their own colour.
For books and folders, the Steelco Open Bookcase 1200H ($335) is 1200mm high, 900mm wide and 400mm deep, with 3 adjustable shelves. Each shelf holds 40kg as a uniformly distributed load. It arrives pre-assembled in White Satin, Silver Grey or Graphite Ripple, and it carries a 10-Year product warranty.
Common rooms: lounges and ottomans
Common rooms carry heavy, casual use, with residents eating, gaming and studying on the lounges. Choose upholstery that cleans easily and frames rated for several people at once. Our office lounges hold sofas, armchairs and ottomans for these spaces.
The Jaden Double Lounge ($872) is upholstered in easy-to-clean black polyurethane over high density foam. It has a solid timber inner frame, a stainless steel frame and a 260kg weight limit. It is for indoor use only, needs minor assembly and carries a 5 year structural warranty.
Ottomans add seats without adding bulk, and residents can move them to wherever a group gathers. The Kali Square Ottoman ($179) measures 450mm wide, deep and high, with 150mm radius corners. It is upholstered in a polyester and nylon fabric in Charcoal or Stone, and it carries a 5 year warranty.
Study rooms and shared kitchens
A shared study room gives residents a quiet place to work outside their bedrooms. A large table works for group projects, and a few smaller tables suit people working alone. For more ideas, see our guide to library furniture for shelving, study tables and reading chairs.
The Axis Table 4 Leg (from $221) comes in many sizes up to 2400 x 1200mm, including a 1200mm square, all 715mm high. Its steel frame has 50 x 50mm square legs and 80mm levelling feet for uneven floors. It carries a 140KG weight rating and a 10-Year Warranty, with a black or white frame. More sizes and shapes are in our office tables.
The same table works in a shared dining room. At the kitchen bench, residents need stools at the right height. The Sofia Kitchen Stool with Powdercoated Sled Base ($338) has a 660mm seat height for a mid-height kitchen bench. It comes in PU leather or fabric on a black or white sled base, with a 140KG weight rating and a 10-Year Warranty.
Planning student accommodation furniture for turnover and cleaning
Every room is cleaned and checked between residents, so furniture has to be quick to wipe down and easy to inspect. Hard surfaces such as melamine desk tops and moulded plastic shells clean quickly, and PU upholstery wipes down after spills.
Buy one desk model and one chair model for every room, and keep a few spares. A damaged piece can then be swapped on the day, and every room still matches. At each changeover, check for loose legs, worn castors and chipped edges before the next resident arrives.
Use this table to match each room type to the student accommodation furniture in this guide.
| Room type | Product | Stated spec to check |
|---|---|---|
| Student room | Rapid Worker Desk | 900 x 600mm to 1800 x 900mm, cable entry holes |
| Student room | Vista Swivel Chair | 420 to 515mm seat height, 140kg rating |
| Student room | Steelco Open Bookcase 1200H | 40kg per shelf, arrives pre-assembled |
| Common room | Jaden Double Lounge | Easy-to-clean black PU, 260kg weight limit |
| Common room | Kali Square Ottoman | 450 x 450 x 450mm, 5 year warranty |
| Study room or dining room | Axis Table 4 Leg | Sizes up to 2400 x 1200mm, 140KG rating |
| Shared kitchen | Sofia Kitchen Stool with Powdercoated Sled Base | 660mm seat height, 140KG rating |
Student housing in Australia: semester dates and delivery
Semester one at most Australian universities starts in late February or early March, with orientation week just before it. Many residents move in during February, and international students often arrive early to settle in, so January is the practical month to refit rooms.
Deliveries go to the ground-floor entrance, and goods arrive flat-packed unless the product page says otherwise. In a multi-storey residence, book the lifts and plan where cartons will be opened. Each product page has a Delivery line naming its metro cities.
Six of the seven products here list metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The Jaden lounge goes to metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, but not SA.
Student accommodation furniture — frequently asked questions
What furniture goes in a student accommodation room?
A student room usually needs a bed, a wardrobe, a study desk, a desk chair and a bookcase or shelves. Common rooms, study rooms and shared kitchens then add lounges, tables and stools.
What size desk fits a student room?
A desk 900mm to 1200mm wide and 600mm deep fits most student rooms while leaving space for a bed and wardrobe. The Rapid Worker Desk comes in both sizes, and both are 730mm high.
What furniture is easiest to clean between residents?
Furniture with hard or wipeable surfaces is easiest to clean between residents. The Vista Swivel Chair has a moulded shell its page calls easy to clean, and the Jaden lounge is upholstered in easy-to-clean polyurethane.
Shop the range
Every product in this guide is listed below in the order it appears. Our home office desks, office lounges and office tables hold more sizes and finishes.
- Rapid Worker Desk (from $144): a study desk with cable holes, from a compact 900mm width
- Vista Swivel Chair (from $307): an easy-to-clean shell chair on castors for every student room
- Steelco Open Bookcase 1200H ($335): a pre-assembled room bookcase whose shelves hold 40kg each
- Jaden Double Lounge ($872): an easy-to-clean black PU two seater for busy common rooms
- Kali Square Ottoman ($179): a compact fabric ottoman that residents can move around the common room
- Axis Table 4 Leg (from $221): a study room or dining table in sizes up to 2400 x 1200mm
- Sofia Kitchen Stool with Powdercoated Sled Base ($338): a stool with a 660mm seat height for the shared kitchen bench
Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
