Our Hivers are an eclectic bunch of awesome individuals from all walks of life and corners of the globe. They are open-minded professionals, entrepreneurs and digital nomads who share a lust for living well. To give you a little more insight on who Hive residents are, we interviewed one of them – Francois.
Hello everybody! My name is Francois, I am originally from South Africa. I moved to the UK at the beginning of 2019 to pursue some good career opportunity as a finance manager for a company operating in the automotive industry and my dream has always been to move closer to Europe. Now that I am settled in the UK, I would love to travel Europe and get to know more of the culture and diversity of the different European countries.
Have you lived in a shared living space before? What made you choose coliving/our Hives as your home?
I have been coliving for quite some time now, I chose coliving as a convenient, affordable and flexible way of living. Plus, I am single, so having the opportunity to get to know more people and being part of a vibrant community of Hive residents is something I really value in this stage of my life.
How would you describe coliving as opposed to other types of accommodation you previously experienced?
For someone who is single coliving provide an affordable, convenient and fun way of living. I really have great relationships with the other Hive residents and we all live a pretty hectic lifestyle. Shared living makes much more sense for us given we spend so little time at home, and we all enjoy each other company.
What is your favourite part of your Hive home and why?
I love the spacious well-equipped kitchen, the living room with a super comfortable TV area (which we often use for karaoke or gaming), the large skylight dining area and the spacious bedrooms all equipped with private en-suite bathrooms. You can tell that each space in the Hive has been designed around resident’s needs.
In your Hive space you are more…
Coffee or Tea? Tea
Quiet housemate or social animal? Quiet but sociable
More at your room or a particular common area? Enjoy spending time in common area when Hivers are around to talk or simply watch a movie together. But I also need quiet time in my room at the end of a very busy day!
How would describe your “Hivemates”? What difference did they make to your life?
In my Hive there are people from different nationalities: from Spain, Italy, England, India and even Czech Republic. Each Hiver has a unique side to them, and I enjoy chatting to each of them and get to know more about their countries, passions, hobbies and lifestyles. Our diversity and the fact we all come from different walks of life makes our community very special. Plus, we all are professional people so I find it interesting to get to know their professional experience, especially given I am new to the UK market.
What’s the most unexpected thing you discovered about yourself or coliving being in a Hive?
One would think that living and sharing space with other people from different backgrounds would not be easy and problems could arise. This is not my experience living in the Hive, we get along all very well and if any issue arises, we resolve our differences very amicably.
Would you recommend B-Hive Living to a friend? Why?
Yes, for sure. I also love the calendar of the Hive Social sessions designed to inspire fun, connection and a healthier way of living for the residents. The social events are an opportunity to get to know Hivers better. I particularly enjoyed the bring and share social event at one of our Hives recently, everyone shared some food from their country and we enjoyed playing live music thanks to some very talented people in our community.
