Founded by two IÉSEG’s Grande École Program graduates,”Mansiones Coliving” stands out for its ability to bring together all generations in homes designed to foster a genuine community. With a model centered on material comfort and conviviality, “Mansiones Coliving” offers an authentic experience that goes far beyond simple housing. As the company continues to expand, it remains committed to its mission of intergenerational inclusion and shared experiences. Basile Huvet and Lucas Kihlgren take us into the heart of their homes.
“Mansiones Coliving”… in a few words?
Mansiones is a company that enables people from different generations to live together in homes specifically designed for shared living. We welcome students and young professionals, seniors, and what we call the “middle generation,” meaning those between 35 and 60, who are often overlooked in traditional shared housing arrangements.
To simplify community life, we offer a range of services included in the rent, such as: utility management, home insurance, internet, cleaning of shared spaces, streaming subscriptions (Netflix, Canal+, Disney+, etc.), and even shared household essentials to avoid conflicts over things like “who’s buying the salt or olive oil?” We also organize quarterly events to foster the community spirit.
Intergenerational co-living is at the heart of the project?
Absolutely! We wanted to create an inclusive solution. Shared housing often caters to the 18-30 age group. Recently, there have been initiatives for seniors, but these remain segmented: shared housing for the young excludes older adults, while senior living communities are restricted to those over 60. We offer a solution for everyone, where students, working professionals, and retirees can live together. This model has many benefits, especially for seniors. Many shared houses for seniors resemble retirement communities, with a rather dull atmosphere. We aim to attract active retirees who want to live with younger people because it energizes them. They rediscover a social environment that motivates and uplifts them.
For young people, having older housemates is also enriching. They engage with people who have more life experience, and they also share some career advice. But it also brings a calmer living environment. For example, many students prefer to live in such homes, especially those pursuing demanding academic courses. And parents appreciate this as well; they feel reassured knowing that their child is in a conducive environment for studying.
Did you discover the “middle generation” by chance?
Yes, we didn’t target them initially because it wasn’t obvious to identify their needs. But eventually, people in the 35-60 age group started reaching out because they were interested in our homes. We quickly realized they also needed this type of solution, whether for professional, family, or personal reasons. Many come to us during a transition period: a divorce, a temporary work assignment, or just to get acquainted with a new city.
Often, they plan to stay for six months to a year but extend their stay as they realize they enjoy communal living more than they expected. They don’t want to return to a life where they find themselves alone at home after work.
What is your role within “Mansiones Coliving” today?
We handle everything! We select applicants, welcome them into the home, and support them throughout their stay. But before we get to that point, there’s a significant amount of real estate work: we buy homes in poor condition, sometimes near ruins, and renovate them to be fully adapted to communal living. There’s extensive restructuring involved. We are convinced that the foundation of successful shared housing is the environment. Everything must be well thought out: ergonomic shared spaces, a spacious kitchen, storage, good thermal and sound insulation. All of this is essential for comfort and feeling at home. The layout of a space is really just a matter of common sense! Before starting “Mansiones,” we both worked in renovation, which gave us essential skills for our real estate projects today. This experience also means we have a network of reliable contractors who work on our projects, and we closely oversee the work. It’s genuinely satisfying to see the transformation. Each house is a unique project, and when we see it filled with happy housemates, it’s incredibly rewarding!
How many houses does “Mansiones Coliving” currently have?
We currently have four houses open, with a fifth soon to open: two houses in Orsay, one in Chartres, and one in Guyancourt, near Versailles. We’re finalizing the fifth house, also in Chartres, and already looking at properties for our sixth and seventh homes. We’re focusing primarily on the southwest of Paris for logistical reasons: the closer the houses are to each other, the easier they are to manage, allowing us to optimize our trips.
With the first few houses, we took a risk as there was no guarantee the intergenerational model would work, and many thought we were crazy to try to bring together such different people. In the end, it’s been a real success!
How do you stand out from the competition?
We differentiate ourselves primarily in two ways: location and intergenerational dimension. In terms of location, we focus on secondary cities to avoid the saturation of large metropolises. We target economically promising areas that are not yet overexploited by competitors. This helps us stand out because housing is closely tied to geography. By establishing a presence in places where there aren’t yet co-living houses, we automatically differentiate ourselves! And in these cities, the rental market is often based on traditional models: unfurnished long-term rentals or short-term tourist accommodations like hotels or Airbnb. We offer a flexible solution for all situations and ages.
What’s your take on your two-year progress?
The results have been very positive. Socially, it’s a success. We’ve witnessed incredible connections between people who weren’t originally meant to live together. Many initiatives have emerged within the homes independently: sharing experiences like yoga or climbing classes, mutual aid during tough times, and a lot more daily. These natural resident-driven initiatives are truly rewarding, as this is the very purpose of our project.
Sometimes, when tenants leave, there are tears because of the strong bonds that have been created! It’s these emotional moments that show our project is working. From a business perspective, we’re also seeing a profitable company with stable growth that supports our livelihood. We have decided not to seek external funding so far. Profitability is a daily objective, which allows us to control every step and keep ownership of our company. It also enables us to stay close to the ground, which is very important to us. We had opportunities to raise funds sooner, but we strongly believe that would have distanced us from what we’re most interested in: direct management of the homes, proximity to tenants, and cost control. We’ve managed to build a well-functioning team, and we’re fortunate to have two senior partners who add credibility with banks. Initially, we had to prove our concept was viable, and now, the banks support us without hesitation.
What’s the future like for “Mansiones coliving”?
Our goal is to continue growing at a steady pace by opening one or two houses a year. In the short term, we aim to reach seven houses by 2025. Once we reach this size, we may consider bringing in new partners while maintaining control of the company. We’ll have a size that will allow us to do this comfortably.
In the longer term, we’d like to expand our model to other regions in France. But for that, we’ll need to establish strong local roots with teams capable of managing multiple homes on site. We don’t want to open a house here and there without the necessary support structure behind it. It will be a step-by-step development.
Kitchen – before
Kitchen – after
Garden – before
Garden – after
Bedroom – before
Bedroom – after