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Project Studio, 3 Tariff Street, Manchester (2026)

29/08/2026

National Dog Day this week gave us a good excuse to talk about something we’re very happy to see becoming a bigger consideration in residential design: pets. If we’re being specific, dogs.

Changes introduced through the Renters’ Rights Act mean landlords in England can no longer simply rely on a blanket ‘no pets’ approach. Tenants can request permission to keep a pet, and landlords must consider that request rather than unreasonably refusing it. For , we think that creates an interesting opportunity.

Rather than viewing pets as something a building needs to accommodate reluctantly, why not consider them properly from the beginning?

We’ve already designed dedicated pet spa spaces within residential schemes, giving residents somewhere practical to wash muddy paws after a walk without bringing everything straight through their apartment. However, pet-friendly design goes much further than adding a dog wash.

Flooring can be selected with scratch resistance, durability and ease of cleaning in mind. Upholstery and finishes need to withstand greater wear. Layouts should consider how animals move through shared areas, while entrances and circulation spaces can benefit from surfaces that cope well with wet paws, dirt and frequent cleaning.

There’s also the resident experience to consider. For many people, a pet is part of the household. Designing a development that makes everyday life with an animal easier can therefore become a meaningful amenity rather than simply another feature on a specification list.

As Build to Rent becomes increasingly focused on long-term resident experience and retention, understanding how people genuinely live [pets included] feels increasingly important. We’re firmly in favour of more four-legged residents.

24/08/2026

Are we designing interiors for people or for photographs? It’s a question worth asking.

There’s no doubt that social media has changed the way interiors are viewed, shared and judged. Statement lighting, sculptural furniture, bold finishes and instantly recognisable moments can all add real value to a scheme, but a space can photograph beautifully and still fail in use.

In especially, that distinction matters because amenity spaces are not temporary sets; they need to support hundreds of everyday interactions, often for years at a time. That means we have to think beyond the image.

◾Is the seating genuinely comfortable?
◾Can residents hear each other without the room becoming too noisy?
◾Does the lighting work throughout the day?
◾Are circulation routes intuitive?
◾Will the finishes still look good after sustained use?
◾Does the space offer somewhere to work, meet, relax or spend time alone?

A dramatic interior might attract attention at launch, but long-term success comes from creating spaces residents actually choose to use. That doesn’t mean aesthetics become less important, infact quite the opposite. The challenge is to create memorable interiors where visual impact and everyday functionality work together.

Some of the most effective design decisions are the ones you may not immediately notice in an image; considered acoustics, thoughtful furniture layouts, changes in scale and ceiling height, layered lighting, and quieter pockets within larger communal spaces. Whilst a photograph can show how a space looks in a single moment, good interior design has to support how that space feels and functions every day.

19/08/2026

Should we be designing ‘neurodiverse spaces’ or simply designing better spaces for everyone?

As awareness of continues to grow, it’s encouraging to see more conversation around how our built environments can support different sensory needs. However inclusive design shouldn’t mean creating one designated quiet room and considering the job done.

People experience interiors differently.
◾Lighting that feels atmospheric to one person may feel overwhelming to another.
◾A vibrant, busy communal lounge might energise some residents whilst others need somewhere calmer to decompress.
◾Noise, texture, colour, movement and even furniture positioning can influence how comfortable someone feels within a space.

Within or , where amenity areas need to support hundreds of residents with different lifestyles and preferences, offering choice becomes particularly important. Rather than designing spaces around one assumed ‘typical’ resident, we can create a range of environments.

That might mean quieter seating positioned away from circulation routes, softer lighting alongside brighter task-focused areas, considered acoustics, clear wayfinding and smaller pockets of space within larger communal settings. It can also mean giving residents some control over their environment rather than prescribing exactly how a space should be used.

Importantly, none of these decisions need to be labelled as neurodiverse design, they're simply elements of thoughtful, human-centred interior design.

The aim isn't to create a separate environment for people who experience spaces differently. It's to design buildings with enough variety, flexibility and sensitivity that more people can feel comfortable using them in their own way.

Perhaps the future of inclusive design is when we stop thinking of it as a specialist consideration and start seeing it as fundamental to good design.

06/08/2026

Furniture is often one of the last elements people notice in a space., yet it's one of the first things they experience.

As interior designers, we don't see furniture as something that simply fills a room. Every chair, sofa, workstation and table contributes to how a space feels, how it functions and ultimately how people behave within it.

When specifying furniture for PBSA developments, we're thinking far beyond aesthetics.

◾Will residents naturally gather here?
◾Will someone feel comfortable working for several hours?
◾Does the furniture encourage conversation, collaboration or quiet reflection?
◾How does it influence movement through the space?

These are the questions that shape our decisions.

For one of our current schemes in Bournemouth, our specification combines beautifully crafted lounge seating with ergonomic task chairs, collaborative workstations and flexible social furniture from manufacturers including Pedrali, HAY, Muuto, Norman Copenhagen and Hessentia. Each piece has been selected to perform a different role within the resident experience, whether that's creating moments of comfort, supporting productivity or encouraging people to spend more time outside their apartments.

Furniture also has an emotional quality that shouldn't be overlooked. The generous proportions of a sofa can make a lounge feel welcoming. A warm timber frame introduces a sense of familiarity. Carefully selected upholstery softens a space both visually and acoustically. Even the arrangement of furniture can determine whether a room feels formal, relaxed or inviting. In many ways, furniture becomes the bridge between architecture and human behaviour.

A beautifully designed space may attract attention, but thoughtfully specified furniture determines whether people choose to stay. For us, successful interiors aren't measured by how they look on completion day. They're measured by how comfortably they support everyday life for years to come.

When you're designing shared residential spaces, what role do you think furniture plays beyond simply providing somewhere to sit?

04/08/2026

Community cannot be designed, but it can certainly be encouraged.

One of the most rewarding aspects of is creating environments where meaningful interactions happen naturally. The role of interior design isn't to force these moments, it's to provide the conditions where they can occur organically and this requires a different mindset.

Rather than viewing amenity spaces as individual rooms, we see them as part of a wider journey through the building. Every café, lounge, co-working space and private dining room contributes to how residents experience daily life. The smallest design decisions often have the biggest impact.

◾Positioning seating to encourage conversation.
◾Creating visual connections between spaces.
◾Providing flexible furniture that adapts throughout the day.
◾Designing environments that feel equally comfortable for one person or twenty.

Collectively, these decisions influence behaviour far more than we often realise and strong communities don't happen because a building has impressive amenities. They happen because residents genuinely want to spend time within them.

As designers, that's the challenge we enjoy most; creating spaces that feel welcoming, inclusive and adaptable enough to become part of someone's everyday routine.

Buildings provide shelter whilst communities provide belonging and we believe great interior design should always strive to support both.

What design feature have you seen that genuinely helped bring a residential community together?

30/07/2026

The resident experience begins long before someone reaches their apartment; it starts the moment they walk through the front door.

Reception spaces have traditionally been viewed as transitional areas, ad somewhere to pass through on the way home. Today, they're expected to do far more.

A well-designed arrival space establishes the identity of the building. It communicates quality, creates reassurance, and begins telling the story of the development before a word has been spoken. It's also one of the busiest environments in any scheme.

◾Residents arrive home after work.
◾Visitors wait to be collected.
◾Deliveries are received.
◾People stop for coffee, informal meetings or simply a change of scenery.

All of these activities happen within the same space and that's why designing a successful lobby requires much more than selecting beautiful finishes. We think carefully about movement, visibility, lighting, acoustics, seating, hospitality and the subtle cues that encourage people to pause rather than simply pass through.

Done well, the lobby becomes more than an entrance, it becomes the heart of the building. As expectations continue to rise across the BTR sector, first impressions have never mattered more; not because they're memorable, but because they influence every experience that follows.

What makes a residential reception feel genuinely welcoming to you?

28/07/2026

The way we live has changed.

Home is no longer just somewhere we return to at the end of the day. Increasingly, it's where we work, socialise, exercise, relax and create. This shift has made "third spaces" one of the most important considerations in residential design.

Originally describing places that sit between home and work, third spaces have evolved into environments that support everyday life in a much broader sense. Within Build to Rent developments, these spaces have become essential in creating vibrant, connected communities but simply providing communal areas isn't enough.

Successful third spaces feel natural to use and they offer flexibility rather than prescribing behaviour. A resident might spend an hour working from a café lounge before moving to a quieter booth for a meeting, then return in the evening to catch up with friends. The space should adapt to the resident, not the other way around.

Designing these environments requires careful consideration of zoning, lighting, furniture, acoustics and circulation. Small interventions can dramatically influence how comfortable people feel occupying a shared space.

Perhaps the biggest success for any third space is when residents stop seeing it as an amenity and start seeing it as part of their everyday routine. That's when a building begins to feel like a community rather than simply somewhere to live. As hybrid lifestyles continue to evolve, we believe third spaces will only become more significant within residential developments.

How do you think third spaces will continue to evolve over the next five years?

21/07/2026

Who are we really designing for?

One of the biggest misconceptions about amenity spaces is that they need to be busy to be successful. In reality, successful developments recognise that every resident interacts with their environment differently.

Some people naturally gravitate towards communal tables, bustling cafés and shared lounges. Others prefer quieter corners where they can read, work or simply take a moment away from the activity around them. Neither behaviour is right or wrong; they're simply different ways people choose to live and as interior designers, it's our role to accommodate both.

That means thinking beyond the furniture specification. We consider how lighting influences mood, how acoustic treatments soften busy environments, how seating arrangements encourage conversation without demanding it, and how subtle zoning can create a variety of experiences within one open space.

The most effective amenity spaces rarely feel like a single room. Instead, they offer a sequence of environments, allowing residents to choose the setting that best suits them at any given moment.

It's an approach that also supports community building. Counterintuitively, providing quieter, more intimate areas often encourages greater use of communal spaces overall. When people feel they have choice and control over how they occupy a building, they're far more likely to spend time outside their apartment. Designing for behaviour rather than simply aesthetics creates spaces that feel intuitive, welcoming and genuinely useful.

As Build to Rent continues to evolve, perhaps the question shouldn't be "How many amenities should we provide?" but "How many different ways can residents feel comfortable using them?"

How do you balance sociability with privacy when designing shared residential spaces?

16/07/2026

The lobby is no longer just a point of arrival.

In today's developments, it's one of the most important spaces in the building. It's where first impressions are formed, where residents cross paths, where visitors gain an immediate sense of the community, and where everyday interactions begin.

The challenge is creating a space that people choose to spend time in, rather than simply pass through.

We think carefully about how a lobby space can be activated throughout the day. A thoughtfully positioned café, flexible seating arrangements, integrated co-working areas and welcoming lounge spaces all encourage different types of occupation. The result is an environment that evolves naturally from a morning coffee stop, to an informal workspace, to a social setting in the evening.

The success of these spaces isn't measured by how striking they look in a photograph. It's measured by how they're used:

◾Are residents staying?
◾Are conversations happening?
◾Are people choosing to work downstairs instead of in their apartment?
◾Are neighbours becoming friends?

Design has a remarkable ability to influence behaviour. Small decisions around furniture layouts, lighting, acoustics, materiality and sightlines can encourage interaction whilst still providing quieter pockets for those seeking privacy. The most successful lobby spaces strike a careful balance between energy and comfort, openness and intimacy.

As BTR continues to mature, we're seeing a shift away from designing impressive reception spaces towards designing active community hubs. Residents increasingly value experiences over square footage, and the lobby has become the heart of that experience.

When designed well, it becomes much more than an entrance. It becomes the living room of the building; a place that fosters connection, strengthens community and gives residents another reason to feel at home.

14/07/2026

What will residents want in five years' time?

It's a question we believe every Build to Rent designer should be asking.

The most successful amenity spaces aren't designed around today's trends, they're designed around evolving resident behaviours. While trends come and go, the way people live, work, create and connect continues to change. The developments that anticipate these shifts are the ones that foster stronger communities and, ultimately, achieve greater long-term resident satisfaction and retention.

At Bankside by Renaker , our approach was to create spaces that support modern lifestyles whilst remaining flexible enough to evolve over time. Alongside more traditional amenities, we introduced a dedicated Content Creation Room and Podcast Studio, recognising the growing number of residents working in the creative economy or building personal brands. These acoustically designed spaces provide a professional environment for recording, editing and creating content without leaving home.

We also designed a meeting room that transforms into a Mahjong room in the evening. It reflects a broader shift we're seeing in residential design: spaces should work harder. By adapting throughout the day, they encourage both productivity and social interaction, supporting wellbeing whilst creating opportunities for residents to connect.

What's particularly rewarding is seeing these spaces used exactly as intended. Bankside's content creation facilities are already hosting resident workshops, demonstrating that thoughtfully designed amenities can become genuine community assets rather than simply marketing features.

For us, designing Build to Rent developments isn't about adding the latest 'must-have' amenity. It's about understanding how people are choosing to live today, anticipating how they'll live tomorrow, and creating spaces that remain relevant long after the building is complete.

Great amenity design isn't measured by how many spaces you provide, it's measured by how often residents choose to use them.Ed Reeve

Design Consultant Naomi Cleaver

Project Studio

29/08/2026

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