Today’s college students want the freedom to study, snack, and socialize at any time and anywhere on campus. At UCLA, the newest hot spot for the mobile, wireless-enabled generation is Hedrick Study, located on the ground floor of Hedrick Hall, a 1960s-era high-rise dormitory. With its European-style food hall, cozy fireplace, and variety of comfy seating arrangements, you might mistake it for the lobby of a boutique hotel. “In fact, the Ace Hotel was one of the inspirations for the interior,” says Jim Favaro, principal of Johnson Favaro of Los Angeles, which designed the $9.1 million renovation.

The project replaces a 1990s food-court-style cafeteria that was dying on the vine due to changes in technology and student lifestyles. Hedrick Hall is a hilly, 12-minute walk from UCLA’s central campus to the east; the dorm’s 1,100-plus residents were increasingly staying on campus after classes to mingle with friends and tackle assignments before heading home at night. But the cafeteria closed after traditional dinner hours (read: there was nowhere to satisfy a late-night case of the munchies), and its tables and chairs weren’t conducive to group or solo studying. To bring the large common area back to life, Johnson Favaro envisioned it as a round-the-clock space that functioned as a 24–7 food market and a library without books—and with all the amenities and connectivity expected on today’s campuses.

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The original 22,000-square-foot space had been roughly divided in half, between back-of-house kitchen and openplan cafeteria with seating. Improving the floor plan was the architects’ top priority. “We knew the interior architecture had to drive function here, or else the new space would be as underutilized as the old one,” says Favaro. In lieu of an open plan, the architects crafted a series of interconnected seating and study areas on the eastern side of the footprint that range from quiet to busy, where students can work alone, side by side, or in groups, and socialize during breaks. These areas ring an enclosed central reading room—a nod to traditional library design. The food hall, nestled between the study areas and the revamped kitchen, takes its cues from Italian rosticcerias, French boulangeries, English pubs, and American delicatessens, says Favaro. There students can buy grab-and-go meals, brick-oven pizza, coffee, baked goods, and other snacks and take them right to their seats. The new 7,000-square-foot kitchen supports the food hall and is also the meal-prep center for 13,300 students on UCLA’s food plan.

Furnishings and finishes in warm, textured neutrals lend the interior a vibe that’s inviting and intimate rather than institutional. Johnson Favaro designed the fireplace, fixed furniture, and a few decorative touches such as ceiling treatments and durable, custom-printed floor tiles laid to look like Persian carpets. “Materials in public buildings need to be long-lasting so clients get the best bang for the buck,” says Favaro. “The goal was a luxury feel without the luxury price tag.” Rodrigo Vargas Design helped the firm select furnishings and designed some custom pieces.

Since opening in January 2017, Hedrick Study serves about 3,000 students per day, and twice that number when final exams roll around. As hoped, it’s buzzing at all hours, and many dorm residents return from campus right after classes so they can snag their favorite seats and stay there for the rest of the day. “It’s like a communal living room,” says Favaro. For these students, there’s no place like home—especially if it comes with great grub and high-speed Internet.