#SharedLiving The Big Picture
What is shared living? Share a living space with people who have common ideas, ambitions, and interests. In a high-tech, low-touch world, the shared-living movement is helping to create great connections and opportunities amid the hustle and grind of city living.
As the sharing economy continues to expand, so does the curiosity around the concept of co-living. With the cost of living at all-time (and often unmanageable) highs in many cities around the world, it’s no wonder people are looking at co-living as a means of creating affordable, practical living environments.
And as the co-living movement expands, companies are taking notice; with those who want to stay ahead of the pack attempting to understand the shifting consumer mindset and why people are increasingly turning to co-living arrangements.
One of these companies is IKEA. They realize that the way we live as a society is changing, heading in the direction of spending money on experiences rather than things. And they understand that this shift will affect their business model. In order to get a sense of the bigger picture and how they will fit into it, IKEA’s research team, Space10, recently initiated a survey to gain insight on what the overarching preferences and values are when it comes to co-living. The results, summarized by Co.Design, are interesting, and they leave little doubt that co-living is far more complex than just about saving money on rent.
“Sharing some space with strangers is becoming a more acceptable paradigm for city dwellers looking for connection.” (Co.Design)
What is Co-Living?
When you look to what the main players of co-living (The Collective, WeLive) are offering, you might find yourself wondering how these places differ from typical apartment buildings and how the people living in there differ from simply being roommates.
According to the websites, co-living is the “new way to live”, and a way to “love your life”.
When comparing the amenities that co-living buildings provide in comparison to plain-old apartments, there are some key differences. For starters, co-living buildings are often furnished. So you don’t have to worry about the cost or hassle of moving or purchasing furniture. But…you will have the same bedspread and couch as the hundreds of other people living in your building.
The key characteristic of a co-living building is that it is specifically designed to be a hub for social connection. The idea is that people not only share amenities but also common spaces, so that a group of people (who live in the building) can meet for a potluck, movie night, party, etc. And with many providing onsite co-working spaces, it seems like there would be very few reasons that you would actually have to leave.
So that’s co-living in a nutshell; at least based on what is offered by the majority of co-living companies.
It sounds fun! But I’m also weary that it could end up being an “all-inclusive resort” type experience — AMAZING on day 1, but sick of the same old thing by the end of the week.
Getting down to brass tacks
So, when it comes to what we as a society want from co-living, what does the data say?
Because no matter how many bells and whistles there are, ultimately for co-living to be something meaningful it needs to be more than just an all-access pass to a cool building. Just as out of control as the cost of living is getting in cities, the same is true for the disconnect that’s happening within society as a whole. We are more connected than ever in a digital capacity but our ability to meet people and form authentic connections is diminishing. Are these co-living companies providing what we collectively want in terms of creating environments for authentic social connection, or are people choosing these living arrangements because they are currently the only option out there?
“…the survey revealed that respondents were most interested in living in shared houses of between 4 and 10 people. That’s really small–and not something that today’s coliving companies offer.” (Co.Design)
And what about the individual suites within these co-living skyscrapers, with a higher than average number or rooms and larger than average sized kitchen — does this hit the nail on the head as the ideal way to share space and connect? The survey responses prove it’s not that simple.
“The survey shows that the main reason people are interested in coliving is because they want to be social. But no one wants to live in a giant hotel–which sounds just as isolating as living in an apartment. Instead, they want to connect with people in a meaningful way.” (Co.Design)
Co-living is an evolving concept, but let’s face it, the majority of us that are past university are looking for something more than a dorm-style living arrangement. And that a university graduate, working 40+ hours a week cannot afford anything beyond that is frankly just not ok with us.
At RoomForTea we are rethinking the concept co-living to that of shared living, both within the home and in the local community. We think shared living is about creating authentic living environments which bring people together organically through shared interests, and in that create spaces that nurture creativity and innovation. It makes use of existing infrastructure; maximizing the potential of unused spare rooms so nothing needs to be built or refurbished, and housing clusters (a network of homes within close proximity of one another) are created to keep people connected. There is no attached co-working space or games room. No coffee shop in the lobby. There actually isn’t a lobby at all. You will need to go outside. But we believe these are the living environments that allow for natural cohesion within the home and provide the ability to make authentic connections and experience the local community.
We are continuously striving to develop a shared living network that creates environments which encourage interaction and inspire each of us to
