How to recreate the London vibe in lockdown

Here’s how to experience the hustle and bustle of city life from your childhood bedroom

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Spending your uni years in lockdown can be tough. You’ve moved back home to your parents’ house and spend your days on your laptop, switching between the Netflix and Teams tabs.

Now, more than ever, you miss your student flat but with classes online for the rest of the year, you may not see it for quite some time. Here’s how to recreate London student life at home:

Coffee, coffee and more coffee

If there’s anywhere a King’s student feels most at home, it’s one of the many Prets scattered around the Strand and Guy’s. The 50p filter coffee has got all of us through many a lecture. Unfortunately, we can’t recreate the café study vibes at home, but the new Pret subscription lets you fuel your caffeine addiction for as little as £20 a month. If there isn’t a Pret where you live, you’ll have to fork out a bit more for Starbucks, but hey, if being broke doesn’t remind you of London, nothing will.

Redecorate your room

It’s an undeniable fact that all uni rooms have the same vibe. There are certain items of room decor that scream uni: Fairy lights, polaroids, and a tapestry to name a few. Put these up in your childhood room to recreate the uni box room aesthetic.

You can also use your newfound free time to have a big clear out. Get rid of all the junk you never brought with you to uni– if you didn’t need it there, you don’t need it at home. You can even sell your old belongings on Depop like the classic student entrepreneur that you are.

Zoom parties

I recently celebrated my birthday via zoom party. Clubs may be closed and your friends may only be reachable over a laptop screen, but you can still have fun. Get dressed up, play some games, and run a PowerPoint evening via Zoom!

Dress up for the supermarket trip

We’ve spent the majority of this year in sweatpants and pyjamas. At King’s, we’re all aware of feeling inadequate sitting next to students in Gucci and Chanel. Channel your most stylish student self when you head out for the weekly supermarket shop instead– after all, it’s now your biggest social outing.

Pick up some pesto pasta and meal deal whilst you’re there to fuel your studies. The best part of online classes? You can eat during a lecture and no one will ever know.

Visit the local park

Wait for a sunny day and head down to your local park. Bring a blanket and find a quiet spot, and you can imagine you’re in a hidden corner of Hyde Park. All you need is a patch of grass and a couple of drinks and it will be like you never left London.

Visit your local park on a sunny day

Treat yourself

If there’s one thing that screams London, it’s spending an outrageous amount of money. Now that you’re no longer buying £15 cocktails, spending an extortionate amount on Uber or paying rent (hopefully), you have money to spare. Have a huge takeaway or buy that expensive coat you’ve been saving up for!

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