Co-living homes
Shared kitchen Materials and Finishes for Co-living homes
Select materials by where they will be installed, how they are cleaned and what can be repaired when one part wears.
Explore the ideas
Compare the options
- Set the brief
- Mark high-touch, wet and impact-prone surfaces separately before picking finishes.
- Compare
- Ask suppliers for care instructions, repair options and a full sample with exposed edges and joints.
- Before buying
- Price installation, replaceable pieces and long-term maintenance alongside the initial material cost.
Worked example
A busy household wipes the counter repeatedly and often sets down hot cookware near the hob.
Compare samples for stain, heat and repair behavior, and use a replaceable backsplash panel where splashes concentrate.
How to test it
Put the sample beside its adjoining materials and test the agreed cleaning method on a spare piece.
Apply it to this space
- Layout
- Separate prep, cooking and washing zones; assign clearly marked personal storage away from shared staples.
- Detail
- Use durable, easy-clean surfaces and task lighting across the full counter run.
- Trade-off
- More individual cupboards improve fairness but reduce space for shared cookware.
- Simulate two people preparing meals
- Check labeling and cleaning access
The Elixir portfolio
Details worth a closer look
