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 your potential coliving social life, we interviewed one of our residents – Andrea.
Hi! I’m Andrea and I am a Formula 1 Engineer for Renault. I come from Italy and my passions are cooking, music, going out with friends and travelling.
2. Before joining us, had you lived in a shared-living space before and what made you choose coliving/our Hives as your home?
Before moving into our Hive I used to live in Pisa (Tuscany, Italy) with one of my best friends. I chose B-Hive Living when I relocated to Oxfordshire to join the Renault F1 Team. B-Hive Living was great for me for two main reasons. First of all, the Hive Homes are designed with attention to details and I particularly like the great furniture used to decorate and enhance the experience in each of the spaces. Secondly, I immediately liked the idea of sharing the space with other young professionals with a similar age, but different backgrounds, nationalities and experiences. The coliving social life is great!
3. How would you describe coliving as opposed to other types of accommodation you previously experienced?
When I was in Italy I either lived with my parents, alone, or with my best friend. I think that sharing a house with other people is really nice as you discover other cultures and make new friends. Especially when you move to a new country where you don’t not know anyone around, you can end up feeling quite isolated and lonely. In this sense, joining a Hive was the perfect antidote. I had the chance to make new great friends straightaway and did not feel lonely at all. My Hivemates became my second family away from home. I really appreciate that they made me feel at home as soon as I joined our place.
4. What is your favourite part of your Hive home and why?
I really like the common areas in our Hive: we have a beautiful conservatory and a living room that we constantly use to socialise, relax and get plenty of natural light. There is a lot of space for dinners with friends, relaxing, or just watching a movie.
5. In your Hive space you are more…
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee as most Italians!!
Quiet housemate or social animal?
Quite social, I like doing things together with the other residents.
More at your room or a particular common area?
I enjoy my own space but I always spend time with the other housemates whenever possible.
6. How would describe your “Hivemates” and what difference did they make to your life?
My Hivemates are super nice, friendly and diverse. Some of them are now close friends. They are a pretty international bunch from several nationalities including Spain, Taiwan, Italy, Czech Republic and Hungary.
7. What’s the most unexpected thing you found about yourself or coliving being in a Hive?
I was pleasantly surprised by how lots of different cultures can come together and share the same space. There are compromises, as everyone is different, but also a lot to discover from each other.
8. Would you recommend B-Hive Living to a friend? Why?
Definitely, especially if you are moving to a different country as it is the quickest way to make new friends and feel part of the community. It’s also a convenient solution: you don’t need to worry about utility bills, setting up contracts (like for your TV, Internet, …). All bills are included in your monthly rent and you can have peace of mind that at the end of the month there are no surprises on your expenses.
