What exactly is co-living, you ask? Well, it’s essentially the next step beyond co-working, a concept that allows you to take the community spirit up a notch by sharing spaces like living areas and kitchens, and participating in social activities with your neighbors.
Think of it as an extension of university dorm life, except now you’re in cool digs that come at higher prices, surrounded by fellow working adults who are likely to have similar lifestyles and interests as you.
If this communal, nomadic life interests you, scroll through to find out more about the newest co-living spaces in Singapore.
Commontown
With home away from homes in central districts like Tiong Bahru, River Valley, and the latest, Bukit Timah, Commontown brands itself as an accommodation option for urban dwellers, with design details specific to the character of each location.
The Tiong Bahru lodgings, for example, exude the same kind of old-meets-new charm as the neighborhood, with lounge areas and a rooftop terrace for chill evenings.
Besides Sixth Avenue’s newly launched flat, the co-living company is also debuting its Paya Lebar home this month. It’s not quite a mass collection of residences in one place, but more of different apartments scattered around the island that you can occupy, however temporarily, and share communal areas with housemates. So think of it as a more convenient way to rent.
Guests are required to commit to a three-month stay at the minimum, with rent rates starting at $1,600 per month. Each home is fully furnished, and membership comes with maintenance servicing, a weekly cleaning service, basic supplies, and access to the common spaces.
Five locations, including Sixth Ave.
Hmlet
A co-living name since 2016, Hmlet has extended its reach to more than 75 locations in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Sydney in the years since. Plus, the brand’s largest flexible facility has just been unveiled at Cantonment Road, where it houses 150 rooms in the Tanjong Pagar area.
Its new abode spans 76,000 sq ft across a former school turned heritage site, with towering trees bordering the building. Vintage details of the structure, like its original staircase with terrazzo handrails and feature walls, are preserved in the design, and the place offers facilities such as communal kitchens, a wellness studio, an outdoor plunge pool, and an all-day cafe.
Apart from attending regular pop-up events, residents can also look forward to scores of community activities like game nights, movie screenings, yoga sessions, and meditation classes.
If you’re keen to check in, a short-term stay here starts from six nights, and weekly bookings fluctuate between $1,105 and $2,240 ($145-$320 per night).
Multiple locations, including 150 Cantonment Rd.
lyf Funan Singapore
This one’s a whopper — Ascott’s first lyf property is touted as the largest co-living space in Southeast Asia, and the brand’s first to be “managed by millennials for the millennials.” PR-speak aside, that means the place is funky fresh, tech-savvy, and 100 percent IG-worthy.
Nestled in the recently-revamped Funan, lyf takes up nine floors and 121,000 sq ft of the building, with 279 apartments and a total of 412 rooms. If ever it was your fantasy to live in a mall, this could be your dream dwelling, especially since you’ll be within walking distance to a cinema, fashion retailers, IT stores, a rock climbing facility, an urban farm, and a plethora of dining options.
No matter if you’re traveling for business or leisure, the space offers short-term and long-term options for all sorts of stays, from one-night group parties to six-month bookings.
It may be new to the co-living game, but everything runs in the digital space here, with booking, payment and room access granted through the lyf app. That also gives you discounts at selected shops in the mall and allows for swift communication with “lyf Guards”, the brand’s community managers.
The five apartment types range in size from 18 sqm to 105 sqm, with room rates starting from $150 (although the opening promo goes for $113).
You can choose from the “One of a Kind” studio, “Two of a Kind” unit with two rooms and a kitchenette, or “lyf Style”, which features a pull-down sofa bed, soundproofed walls, and a PlayStation console for the gamer types. Alternatively, if you’re after something more spacious, the “All Together” option houses two to six rooms with a dining area and a shared kitchen.
Those ready to mingle can hang out in the “Connect” social zones, where you’ll find co-working spaces and a lounge area that can host workshops, music sessions, and talks. Meanwhile, at the social kitchen, you can prep meals, take cooking classes, or buddy up to the best chef in the building.
Other quirky design elements include a ball pit you can sink into after a hard day’s work, a massive Connect Four game set, and the open gym, which comes with a human-sized hamster wheel and a see-saw contraption.
L4 Funan Mall, 67 Hill St.
