Pass the Prosecco — the changing face of shared housing
Access to a spa, a wine cellar, and a shared roof terrace. The concept of shared housing has changed beyond the world of washing up rotas and name labels on food in the fridge. In this context, sharing a home is now also about luxury, says Professor Karin Grundström.
Historically, shared housing has been about sharing domestic chores and spending time with others across family boundaries. But Grundström is researching a completely different, and new, type of housing division. It is partly about luxury housing with a “hotel feel” and partly about so-called co-living. What both concepts have in common is that they are opportunities to sell or rent out apartments expensively by offering different added value.
For some, it is fantastic to share a home, and it contributes to quality of life in various ways. For others, being forced to live with others can limit life opportunities.
Karin Grundström
The co-living concept is about letting a bedroom or a small studio that share a kitchen and bathroom and can offer such things as weekly cleaning and, perhaps, a carpool; sometimes the concept also offers joint activities. Co-living is more common in the USA and Asia, but it has started to come to Europe, says the professor in architecture, who looked at the concept in Sweden.
“In Sweden, we do not think it is so strange to share because we have a history of shared laundry rooms and common areas. But if there had been an abundance of housing, it would not have been attractive to move into something resembling a student corridor. The amount and market for co-living has to do with housing shortages,” says Grundström.
The luxury homes are instead aimed at target groups who are actively looking for luxury in the form of a reception, gym, spa, and wine cellar. The concept often offers common areas for work and leisure, as well as employed staff who take care of the property.
The hotel feeling is seen as something desirable and, in general, the boundary between hotels and housing is becoming increasingly blurred. During the pandemic, several luxury hotels have also rented out their rooms on a monthly basis — sometimes with buffet breakfast, cleaning, and access to the gym.
However, the new way of living can have consequences that are not completely visible.
“After the Second World War, housemaids were becoming a thing of the past, but with the luxury concept, it creeps in. You do not have home help, but the tenant-owner association or the landlord contracts the work out to several different companies. That way, the idea of domestic staff sneaks in the back door,” she says.
Grundström will now continue to study sharing. She will interview residents, builders and those who have developed the concept, as well as map socio-economic differences, such as overcrowding.
“For some, it is fantastic to share a home, and it contributes to quality of life in various ways. For others, being forced to live with others can limit life opportunities. For example, it can be more difficult to start a family,” she says.
Text: Ellen Albertsdottir and Adrian Grist
More about the research and the researcher