What furniture to use in a school common room space?

The common room for 16-19 year olds needs to be comfortable, robust and functional, furnished to accommodate work and play. We take a look at the types of furniture best suited to this space and how to use them most effectively. Another feature is the furniture should be wipeable

Seating options for the common room

Modular school seating options might include fitted bench seating or booths. These can be complemented with sofas or even modular seating and cubes. More flexible alternatives could include colourful soft seating like small armchairs or low library chairs.

Consider the arrangement of the breakout style furniture for a common room in a school – either ensure that seating is grouped to allow solo space as well as groups, or consider modular furniture that allows students to create their own interior arrangements on a daily basis.

Tables and surfaces in the common room

In a common room, you need versatile tables for studying, projects, and socialising, as well as eating and drinking. Incorporate durable and easy-to-clean surfaces for ultimate practicality.

Again keep in mind that this is a busy shared space with many uses, so perhaps try a mixture of high tables with chairs or canteen tables and benches and try coffee-style tables paired with low seating.

Storage solutions for organisation

The common room may be a social space, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a well organised one. Think about utilising cabinets, shelves and storage units to keep things clutter free and encourage tidiness.

Making good use of storage will free up space for furnishing too, allowing greater numbers of students to make use of the space. You may even want to consider lockable storage for valuables or personal effects.

Enhancing the atmosphere with decor

This is the fun part and you may wish to get the students actively involved in the planning or even the execution of the decorative stages. If not, it’s always a worthwhile exercise to get their opinions and ensure that the space works well for them. If they have input they are much more likely to feel ownership of the room (and take better care of it too!).

You might want to use a colour palette based on school colours and complement this with matching artwork and soft furnishings. Alternatively you could have different colour zones for socialising and relaxation.

Don’t forget to add plants, rugs and cushions to make the space feel really welcoming. Plants should be low-maintenance or artificial and rugs and cushions should be washable

Considering durability and maintenance

While we’re on the subject of maintenance it’s good to consider the entire common room. This will be a breakout space where people relax, put their feet up and food and drink is probably going to be spilled. So make sure that all of the seating is finished with contract-standard fabrics or wipe-clean vinyls for maximum durability. Tables should have wipeable surfaces. Have a schedule in place for regular cleaning and maintenance.

Summary of key points

To sum up, the common room is a multi-purpose space that will see daily use and the common room seating and tables must accommodate many different activities, everything from quiet study to group hangouts to drinking and snacking.

For space planning ideas and some examples of suitable furniture for common room furniture in schools, colleges and universities, have a look at our dedicated common room page here.

What is modular furniture for common rooms?

Wipe clean moveable comfy seats for a school common room. When we refer to modular furniture for common rooms here we mean the fun designs most often seen as colourful cubes that also come in rounded shapes and as low chairs and sofas. They are designed to build together to mix and match.

Which soft furnishing covers are easy to clean?

Contract-grade fabrics are very hard-wearing and commercial leather, faux-leather sofas for common rooms and vinyls are wipeable.