The Project
West Way Square in Oxford is Deanestor’s third student furniture and fitout project for Mace Developments. The scheme provides the most modern student accommodation in the city.
Designed around a central public plaza, West Way Square forms part of a mixed-use development designed to reinvigorate the district of Botley, and which includes a library, retail and restaurant units, and attractive outside spaces.
There are 261 ensuite student rooms in a choice of studios up to 32m2 in size, and one and two-bedroom apartments with communal leisure and study spaces, gym, multimedia and games rooms.
The Furniture Solution
Deanestor worked with Mace to develop a range of student bedroom and kitchen furniture for use on multiple schemes, which included earlier projects in Cardiff and Exeter.
The bedroom range has three-quarter size double beds with integral storage, wardrobes, desks, bookcases, and shelving. This furniture was finished in white melamine with a wood-effect trim and a contrasting feature headboard and pinboard in anthracite grey.
The Customer Perspective
Trevor Bonnage, Operations Director, Mace Developments:
“The bedroom furniture really contributes to the student experience in this highly competitive market and is where students spend most of their time in the building. There has to be the right amount of storage space and students need to be able to personalise their rooms. Our aim was to combine good design with longevity and value on each project, and to create a fresh and modern appearance for all the rooms.”
“Deanestor was involved at an early stage to inform our design process and also prepared mock-up rooms for us to assess the materials, layout and specification. We found their team to be accommodating, easy to work with, and responsive on all three projects.”
Fitted Studio Kitchens
The studios at West Way Square all benefit from fitted kitchens manufactured by Deanestor as part of its £1m contract. These were supplied with a fridge, combination oven, microwave and grill, and a hob.
The kitchens have base units and worktops in grey laminate, upper units finished in white, a stainless-steel splashback to the hob, and wood-effect edging to complement the bedroom furniture.
Images courtesy of Mace Developments