Brooklyn Startup Supplies the Apartment, Furniture, and Roommates

In the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., an unassuming town house built in 1931 has received some very modern updates. The doors of the building’s four 1,400-square-foot apartments can be unlocked by residents’ Apple Watches and iPhones. The retro-looking lightbulbs hanging over the kitchen counter are energy-efficient LEDs. The “smart mattresses” are provided by startup Casper, the luxury sheets come from Parachute, and the private social network is being custom-built. To qualify for one of the 19 bedrooms in the semicommunal setup, you need to pass a background check; once you’re accepted, you must sign a month-to-month rental contract—but that’s all done online, without a single Realtor.

This is the first building run by Common, a startup using tech amenities and rent-as-you-go flexibility to lure peripatetic urbanites with movable jobs and freelancer incomes. The price tag per bedroom—the size ranges from 100 sq. ft. to 150 sq. ft.—is $1,800 to $1,950 a month. That includes utilities and house basics like cooking oil, salt, paper towels, and Swiffers. Most of the rooms are pretty similar, with rough-hewn wood furniture and minimalist lamps, an aesthetic that Common founder Brad Hargreaves calls Hudson Valley Americana.