What’s up with these “adult dorms” that so many millennials are living in?
When most of us graduate college, one of the first things we’re happy to say “see ya!” to is dorm life. The constantly crowded bathrooms with consistently absent hot water, our neighbors’ loud music, trash left in the hallway… No one misses these aspects of dorm living. So when we first heard that a great many millennials were choosing to return to dorm life in so called “adult dorms,” we were flabbergasted.
“Adult dorms” are a concept brought to us by the coworking company WeWork, Commonspace, and Common.
Most of these coliving spaces are made up of micro-units of around 300 square feet. These tiny units surround shared common areas which often include game rooms and a chef’s kitchen. This already sounds nicer than college.
As Troy Evans of Commonspace told The Atlantic:
“We’re trying to combine an affordable apartment with this community style of living, rather than living by yourself in a one-bedroom in the suburbs."
Well, when you put it that way…
According to Fortune, the visionaries behind these companies took a look at the rising cost of rent in popular cities such as New York and Los Angeles and the stress of starting fresh in these populous places would attract recent grads to coliving spaces where, according to Fortune, “rooms are fully furnished, amenities are included, and communal spaces full of fellow new grads.”
And it’s working.
As 24-year-old copywriter and Common resident Cole Kennedy told The Wall Street Journal:
“Trying to find a place in New York is the biggest headache in the world. According to Kennedy, Coliving offers a group of like-minded people, mostly in their 20s, with whom to chat or go out for a drink. “It’s jump-starting your ability to make friendships.
What you have to realize is that these “adult dorms” offer a heck of a lot more than a place to sleep. They’re a community and a lifestyle. Common’s locations in Brooklyn offer not only furnished bedrooms and weekly cleaning services, but potlucks and other community events, such as the Fourth of July party pictured below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BK8tRoBAYhh
And the rooms look darn nice, too:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BK0nmzsgac-
That’s sure a lot nicer than my old dorm!
Some dorms, such as Common’s Havenmeyerbuilding in Williamsburg, even offer a Cinema Room and Wellness Room, not to mention a library:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHhh-qmg-00
While the rooms themselves might be small, the community of support at coliving spaces can be very, very large.
Plus, the decor of these “adult dorms” is downright stunning.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHKENkLAqlY
Is this a palace or an apartment building? Oh, it’s neither. It’s an adult dorm.
What happens when your dorm is cooler than you are?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHj_pllgm_q
With coliving spaces available all over the world, who wouldn’t want to sign up?
What kind of “dorms” have you heard of that offer such views?
This one looks so nice it may even be worth the move to Siberia…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKn_0d1jbhf
Well, we’ll admit it: we get the allure. This certainly seems more “adult” than the dorms of college. Now if only we didn’t have to worry about rent…
