What Makes a Successful Coliving Space?

Coliving spaces are getting more and more popular and are popping up everywhere in the world these days. When you are a Digital Nomad looking for a Coliving space, it can be hard to pick one that suits you. What makes a good Coliving space for Digital Nomads? And what are Digital Nomads looking for? Living at Nine Coliving for almost two years now, we have a pretty good understanding of what makes a Coliving space successful.

Garden at Nine Coliving

What makes a good Coliving space for Digital Nomads?

The answer to this question comes not only from us, but from the many conversations we have had with our guests and other Digital Nomads from all over the world. What makes that one Coliving space doesn’t deliver while guests love other spaces and keep coming back to them? The answer will be different for every individual of course, but there are definitely a few common themes here.

The basics - Of course it all starts with having the basics right. A clean space, where you feel safe and comfortable. Since Digital Nomads often stay longer in a Coliving space than your regular holiday guests, people like to feel that the space becomes their home. And besides that, people are working (mostly full-time) and might have stressful jobs, so living with comfortable surroundings becomes more important too. Clear house rules, like quiet hours and who needs to clean what, help with this.

At Nine, we found for example that having a cleaning lady who cleans shared spaces every day is very much appreciated, as well as high quality mattresses and linen and rooms that give people enough space to enjoy some privacy.

The workspace - Without a good workspace and reliable internet, you can’t really call yourself a Coliving space for Digital Nomads. We know that most Digital Nomads appreciate the possibility to change their work environment, so different workstations within the Coliving space are a plus. One of them has to be a proper desk with a proper chair. Standing desks are popular too. Other than that people like to switch it up, from working outside in a hammock, to working in a social environment like the kitchen. Since a lot of Digital Nomads have work calls with their team or clients, a call room or a quiet place to call is a must too. But again, reliable internet is key.

Kitchen - We have found that a lot of Digital Nomads like to cook. A fully equipped kitchen with enough space for everyone to store foods makes guests very happy. Little things like a blender or your own shelf in the fridge make all the difference.

At Nine we switched last year from having one big fridge, to two. This made it possible for every room to have their own shelf in the fridge. This has made the organisation of the kitchen so much better that guests are much happier with the kitchen.

The community - We are now moving on to what Colivings for Digital Nomads differentiate from living in an Airbnb, shared housing or a hostel. The community. A good Coliving space knows their guests and how to attract them. So that you, as Digital Nomad, arrive to a space with likeminded people to connect with. The most popular spaces, are those where the community becomes family, and the Coliving becomes home. From what we have learned, a good Coliving space attracts guests who are; 1.) working professionals (so not on a holiday), 2.) people who are looking for community and connections, 3.) social and open-minded.

At a good Coliving space, the management of the space makes a clear effort to keep the community healthy. They make sure people can connect with each other and that the energy stays positive and open.

Common spaces - In order for people to connect and form a community, a Coliving needs common spaces. These are spaces like the kitchen, a living room, a garden or a rooftop. The more inviting a common space is to hang out, the better the community forms itself. The best common spaces feel like home, are clean and spacious. A place to eat together, watch a movie, play a game or work out together. Colivings with nice common spaces are usually the spaces where guests become a family.

It is important that these common spaces are well equipped. A common area that provides guests with things like games, art supplies or a tv to screen a movie, helps guests to join in activities together.

Activities and events - We see that the most popular Coliving spaces, are spaces where a lot of effort is put into bringing the community together. Each Coliving space does this in their own way, fitting to the space they have and the values they find important. A few examples of activities are; family dinners, yoga classes, skill shares, hikes, game nights, workshops etc. Activities can be organised by the Coliving or by guests themselves. In any case, Digital Nomads seem to appreciate it, when the Coliving offers the structure for these activities and events so that the community doesn’t have to figure it our for themselves.

At Nine for example, we offer a few structured activities every week. These are the yoga classes, family dinners, Sunday BBQ and the skill share. Every guest knows about them and can plan her or his schedule around these. Besides these structural events (and often with guests together) we organise things like hikes, beach days, birthday celebrations or nights out.

Animals - At Nine Coliving we have a house dog Lara. You have no idea how many people tell us how much they love having a pet in the house. Many Digital Nomads love animals, but are, with all their travels, not able to have a pet themselves. Or, they had to leave their pet with family and friends and miss them dearly while traveling. A pet in the house is therefore a popular reason for people to pick a Coliving space or come back to one. It gives the space a feeling of a real home.

With Lara in the house, guests get the chance to go on many hikes with us since we take her on a hike almost every day. Let’s not forget of course, that animals are a big responsibility too and require a lot of time and structure. At Nine we have a dog because in the first place, I really wanted a dog myself.

Location - Okay, let’s not forget that location also plays a big role in why Colivings are popular or not. But, it doesn’t seem to be as important as you would think. If Digital Nomads find all the things described above in a Coliving space, the location doesn’t seem to matter as much. When they find their tribe, their community, their family, Digital Nomads will come back no matter what. Of course there are some pros to a Coliving location that can’t be denied. A few examples are; the opportunity to experience the local culture, access to nature, shops in walking distance, good weather, easy access from the airport, etc.

Hopefully you have a better idea of what makes a Coliving space a successful space for Digital Nomads. If you want to know which, after talking to many Digital Nomads, seem to be the most popular Colivings in Europe at the moment, take a look at this list with the best Colivings for Digital Nomads in Europe.