Your home, my home, our home ? The appropriability of shared domestic spaces in the context of intergenerational coresidence

Access to housing is nowadays an issue for young people. Simultaneously many elderly people are experiencing loneliness. In this context, intergenerational coresidence services and platforms are developed, with the promise of addressing these issues. Their success depends on the desire of both target audiences to engage in co-housing practices with members of a different age-group. This raises the question of the appropriability (or not) of intergenerational shared spaces and the conditions under which their (dis)appropriation can be carried out by young and older individuals. Based on a qualitative study conducted with ten respondents belonging to two contrasting age groups, we highlight the similarities and differences in the meaning given to the concepts of home and intergenerational shared home. We identify the modalities under which shared domestic spaces can become different kinds of home (my place, your place, our place). This research contributes to the growing body of literature on contemporary modifications of the home by shedding light on generational approaches to home appropriation.