Shared spaces have the power to transform homes and workplaces in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. With property prices rising and chronic loneliness affecting people of all ages, the demand for collective living was already growing. Throw social distancing and remote working into the mix, and it’s no surprise that the need for physical togetherness has become more urgent than ever. As the definitions of ‘home’ and ‘workplace’ become increasingly blurred, there is unprecedented demand for spaces where people can come together to share experiences and resources.
All Together Now is the first book to address the challenges and opportunities of designing co-living and co-working spaces for modern living.
Written by experts in the field of shared live and work space, interior designer Naomi Cleaver and design journalist Amy Frearson, this wide-ranging book showcases a multitude of ways in which architects, designers and developers can create stylish, healthy and efficient ‘co-spaces’.
Amy Frearson said: “Co-living and co-working offer very real solutions to many of the problems we face today, both as individuals and as a society. Sharing doesn’t have to mean compromise; it can help us live more efficiently, healthily and sustainably, without limiting our choices and comforts.”
Naomi Cleaver said: “The pandemic has intensified questions about how we live and work together, and how we use resources. It has given us the chance to think hard about the society and environments we need if we are to thrive as individuals throughout our lives.”
Working as a practical and inspirational guide, this extremely timely book offers a diverse range of architecture and interior design solutions for collaborative spaces. It draws from Naomi Cleaver’s own experience in the industry, as well as an array of richly illustrated case studies from around the world. Including both new-builds and conversions, examples range from a Dutch nursing home that doubles as a student residence, to a retreat for digital nomads in Bali.
The book also features a foreword by award-winning architect Sadie Morgan OBE, founding director of architectural practice dRMM and chair of the Quality of Life Foundation, who herself grew up on a commune and still considers it her home.
Sadie Morgan said: “Through their exhaustive research, Naomi and Amy have been able to interrogate some of the most pertinent aspects of communal design. Ideas of different degrees and different models of sharing; the question of independence and its complex relationship with solidarity; the longevity and power of intergenerational living. These are just some of the themes expertly illustrated throughout the book.”
Author, Consultant and Presenter Michelle Ogundehin, said: “All Together Now explores our relationship with ownership and place. Certainly, a more flexible housing model than mortgage-based purchase or deposit-based rental is way overdue. Imagine instead a living and working community built around like-minded people, regardless of age, who value freedom, diversity and sustainability, alongside the ability to easily upgrade or downsize as need and means dictate. A model for the future built around IRL connections. A model for the future that recognises that sharing and community are at the heart of all good societies. This is the very timely message of this important book.”
All Together Now is not just a book for architects and designers, but for anyone interested in exploring new models of living and working and learning how to make the most of them. This highly engaging read includes a best practice toolkit, offering practical advice to any designer working at any scale.
