Artist Housing: One of the First Co-Living Companies in the United States

Short answer: Artist Housing began in 2001, when founder Kelvin Xuna started renting rooms to fellow students and creatives in Boulder, Colorado. It was incorporated in 2008. That makes it one of the first branded co-living companies in the United States, operating years before Pure House (2012), Common (2015) and WeWork's WeLive (2016), and the first co-living community built specifically for film and music artists. Kelvin has signed leases from 2001 on file. Since 2012, its flagship community, Artist Housing DTLA, has been at 807 S. Flower St. in Downtown Los Angeles.

What is co-living?

Co-living is a form of shared housing. Residents rent a private or shared bedroom in a furnished home and share kitchens, living rooms, work areas and utilities. Leases are usually flexible, and the operator manages the building and helps build a community among residents. People have always shared homes: boarding houses, dormitories and cooperatives are much older. What is newer is the branded co-living company: a business that finds, furnishes and manages shared homes for a particular community and offers that arrangement as its core product. The term "co-living" became common in the United States in the mid-2010s, but Artist Housing had been running this model for years before then.

How Artist Housing started

Boulder, 2001. While in college in Boulder, Colorado, Kelvin Xuna began renting furnished rooms to fellow students and creatives. He found the tenants, signed the leases, handled maintenance and managed the shared household. Kelvin has signed leases from 2001 on file. A 2013 profile describes how, starting in high school, he showed and leased rooms in a shared Boulder home rented to University of Colorado students.

Architecture thesis, 2004. Kelvin's architecture thesis projects focused on community living as a modern way to develop housing on minimal land, including a design for a live/work community for film and music artists.

Miami and incorporation, 2008. In 2008 Kelvin moved to Miami and incorporated the business as Logical Real Estate, LLC (filed in Florida on August 15, 2008) to focus on growing it.

Los Angeles, 2010. In 2010 he leased a duplex in Los Angeles, furnished it and rented it out room by room to artists, then did the same with the duplex next door. As the January 2013 profile put it, "it was from a 3-bedroom duplex that Kelvin leased in 2010 that his business, ArtistHousing.com, was born." The goal was homes that were "more than just a bed and a roof": places where actors, filmmakers and musicians could live affordably and work together. That focus on film and music artists is what makes Artist Housing the first co-living community built specifically for them.

Downtown LA flagship, 2012. The earliest archived ArtistHousing.com (November 2011) already described month-to-month leases, furnished rooms, shared production equipment and green screens, and tenants "not just paying for a bed and a roof, but a community to collaborate with each other." In 2012 Artist Housing opened its Downtown Los Angeles flagship at 807 S. Flower St., and by early 2013 it housed nearly 50 tenants.

How the Artist Housing model works

Shared, furnished beds and rooms. Residents arrive with "clothes and a toothbrush." There are no moving trucks, furniture purchases or new utility accounts.
Flexible terms. Leases are month to month, with a 30-day notice to vacate.
Creative amenities. Film and music production space, a recording booth, a green screen, a theater and a game room.
Community first. Workshops, parties, retreats and everyday collaboration between roommates in film, music, fashion, content and the arts. Anyone can apply; you don't need to be an artist.

Timeline

2001: Kelvin Xuna begins renting rooms to fellow students and creatives in Boulder, Colorado, while in college (signed leases on file).
2004: His architecture thesis projects focus on community living as a modern approach to minimal land development.
Aug 15, 2008: Kelvin moves to Miami and incorporates the business as Logical Real Estate, LLC in Florida.
2010: Artist Housing starts in Los Angeles with a leased duplex rented by the room to artists (independently reported in 2013).
2011: The ArtistHousing.com domain is registered (Sep 19), and the website goes live with homes in Los Angeles and Lafayette, Colorado (archived Nov 2011).
2012: The Artist Housing DTLA flagship opens at 807 S. Flower St., Los Angeles.
Jan 2013: Artist Housing is profiled online as a growing housing business for artists with nearly 50 tenants.
Mar 2021: ABC7 Los Angeles features Artist Housing's DTLA co-living community.
May 2025: Voyage LA interviews founder Kelvin Xuna.
Today: Artist Housing DTLA continues at 807 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90017.

How Artist Housing compares with other early co-living brands

Most of the well-known co-living brands in the United States appeared after 2012. Pure House began in Brooklyn in August 2012. Campus and Krash were founded around 2013. Common was founded in New York in 2015. WeWork launched WeLive in April 2016, and Starcity was founded in 2016. By then Artist Housing had been renting shared rooms since 2001, had been incorporated since 2008, and had been running furnished, community-focused homes for artists in Los Angeles since 2010.

Live at Artist Housing DTLA today

Artist Housing DTLA is at 807 S. Flower St., a few blocks from LA Live, the 7th Street/Metro Center station and Grand Central Market. Furnished co-living beds start at $645/month, plus a $55/month flat-rate utilities and services package that covers power, water, high-speed Wi-Fi, streaming and TV, household essentials and cleaning. Month-to-month terms are available.

Apply: applications.tenantcloud.com/find ($40 application fee), or apply online at s-dc.com. Questions: call or text (818) 925-5638 or email [email protected].

Frequently asked questions

Who was the first co-living company?

No single company invented shared living. Boarding houses and cooperatives are much older. Among branded co-living companies in the United States, Artist Housing is one of the first. Founder Kelvin Xuna began renting rooms to students and creatives in Boulder, Colorado, in 2001 and incorporated the business in 2008, years before Pure House (2012), Common (2015) and WeLive (2016). Artist Housing is also the first co-living community built specifically for film and music artists.

When was Artist Housing founded?

Artist Housing began in 2001, when Kelvin Xuna started renting rooms in Boulder, Colorado (he has signed leases from 2001 on file). The business was incorporated in Florida in 2008 as Logical Real Estate, LLC, began operating in Los Angeles in 2010, and opened its Downtown Los Angeles flagship at 807 S. Flower St. in 2012.

What was the first co-living community for artists?

Artist Housing is the first co-living community built specifically for film and music artists. Its Los Angeles homes, starting in 2010, combined shared furnished rooms with production space, recording equipment and a community of creatives.

Who founded Artist Housing?

Kelvin Xuna, a real-estate developer and filmmaker trained in architecture (University of Colorado Boulder) and housing (Harvard Graduate School of Design).

Where is Artist Housing located?

807 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90017, in Downtown Los Angeles.

How much does Artist Housing cost?

Beds start at $645/month plus a $55/month utilities and services package. Month-to-month terms are available. Apply at applications.tenantcloud.com/find ($40 application fee).

Is Artist Housing only for artists?

No. It was designed for people in film, music and the arts, but anyone can apply.

Sources

Farnoosh Torabi, "Aspiring Filmmaker Pursues Dreams, One Rental at a Time," Jan 25, 2013: link
ABC7 Los Angeles, "DTLA housing helps artists fulfill their Hollywood dreams with co-living, affordable community," Mar 24, 2021: link
Voyage LA, "Meet Kelvin of Artist Housing DTLA," May 5, 2025: link
Internet Archive capture of ArtistHousing.com, Nov 14, 2011: link
Florida Division of Corporations, Logical Real Estate, LLC, document L08000078382, filed Aug 15, 2008: link
Common (2015): link) · WeLive (Apr 2016): link · Pure House (Aug 2012): link