Why is coliving becoming so popular with young professionals?

Starting your first job, moving to a new city or relocating closer to work can quickly turn the search for a home into a challenge. Young professionals are no longer simply looking for a convenient address. They want somewhere comfortable, easy to manage and sociable enough that moving to a new city does not feel isolating. This is where coliving comes in: a way of living that combines independence, services and shared spaces without requiring a traditional flatshare.

A private home, with more possibilities around you

At its core, coliving answers a very simple need: keeping your privacy while having access to different spaces depending on how you want to spend your day. Unlike a flatshare, you do not need to share a bedroom, bathroom or day-to-day routine with other people. In many residences, everyone has their own studio or apartment and can choose when, or whether, to use the shared spaces.

That flexibility suits the rhythm of young professionals particularly well. After work, some people want to head straight home, while others may prefer to work from a coworking space, fit in a gym session or catch up with neighbours in a lounge. Coliving leaves room for both. Shared areas become an extension of your home rather than an obligation, making it easier to balance personal space with social time on your own terms.

They also create possibilities that a private home on its own may not offer as easily. You can meet friends in a lounge, invite people close to you to enjoy a shared space, have a meal together or gather as a group somewhere better suited to social occasions. At Canvas, residents keep their own furnished apartment while also having access to spaces designed for working, exercising, relaxing or spending time with other people. The aim is not to replace your private space, but to add more ways to use the place you live.

A better fit for changing work patterns and early-career mobility

Early careers are rarely completely predictable. A first permanent role might be in another city, an internship or graduate programme may require a move, and hybrid working has made the boundary between home and workplace much more flexible. In that context, furnishing an empty apartment, setting up several utility contracts and buying everything from scratch can take a lot of energy, especially when you have only just arrived.

Coliving can make that transition easier by bringing several everyday needs together in one place. A furnished home, Wi-Fi from the moment you arrive and dedicated areas to work mean you can settle in quickly instead of spending your first few weeks organising the basics. Having an onsite team can also make a real difference when you need to report an issue, understand how the residence works or simply ask a practical question.

That convenience does not mean living in an impersonal space. Your apartment is still entirely your own. A few personal objects, photos, plants or soft furnishings can quickly make it feel like home. In a residence such as Canvas Paris La Défense, that balance works particularly well: you keep your own apartment and make it feel personal, while having shared spaces available whenever you want to use them.

An easier way to build a social circle in a new city

Moving city is about more than finding somewhere to live. You also have to build new routines, get to know your neighbourhood and, often, meet new people. At university, opportunities to make friends tend to happen naturally. Once you start working, they can become less frequent: colleagues may not live nearby and working days leave less time for organised activities.

Coliving creates more natural opportunities to meet people without forcing anyone into constant communal living. Seeing the same person at the gym, working regularly in the same coworking area or joining the occasional resident event can be enough to start a conversation. And if you already have friends or family nearby, the shared spaces can also give you practical places to host them and spend time together without staying only inside your apartment.

Bordeaux is a good example of this shift. The city attracts students, but also young professionals who move there for work while looking for a balanced lifestyle. At Canvas Bordeaux Docks and Canvas Bordeaux East, a private apartment comes with shared areas where residents can work, exercise, meet up or host people close to them in a setting that works well for spending time together. The idea is not to live as a group all the time, but to have the choice between your own space and more social areas depending on the moment.

Paris or Bordeaux: choosing a home that fits the way you live

Part of coliving's appeal is that it is not designed for one single type of person. In Paris, the priority may be staying well connected to major employment areas while finding somewhere modern and comfortable to live. In Bordeaux, the decision might be shaped more by the balance between work, social life, transport and quality of life. In both cases, the right residence is one that makes everyday life easier and gives you different ways to use the place you live.

At Canvas Paris La Défense, Metro line 1 and RER A provide easy connections across Paris and to major business districts. The residence includes coworking and study spaces, a fitness area, cinema, music and games spaces, as well as a rooftop. In Bordeaux, Canvas Bordeaux Docks and Canvas Bordeaux East offer two different settings with the same underlying idea: your own apartment, with useful spaces just a few steps away where you can work or spend time with people close to you.

That is why it is worth looking at the whole living experience before choosing where to live. Your commute, access to a suitable place for remote work, onsite facilities, spaces where you can host people and the feel of the neighbourhood will all shape your week. For a young professional arriving in a new city, having a home that is ready to move into and an environment where it is easy to find your feet can save a great deal of time.

Ultimately, coliving is becoming more popular because it suits a stage of life when people want to be independent without closing themselves off from new connections. You keep a genuine private space, with other areas available for working, staying active, hosting friends and family or simply changing your surroundings. For young professionals moving to Paris or Bordeaux, that combination of independence, convenience and social life can turn a place to live into a genuine starting point in a new city.

Ready to discover a different way to live in Paris or Bordeaux? Explore Canvas residences across France and find the location that suits the way you want to live.