Emerging from the brand values of B-Hive Living, including biophilic design and focus on the community, is the story of the mural on the latest of our Hives in Oxford, UK.
In celebration of creativity and community, we have been collaborating with an eclectic bunch of local artists and craftspeople from the very beginning of the brand’s existence. We fill each of our Hives with personalised decorative items. We upcycle them from old surfing and skate boards, whisky barrels, reclaimed wood and more. They make the spaces more sustainable and unique. Another signature feature of the Hives is a biophilic mural on the garden walls of each of our properties. They are all created by muralist, illustrator, and designer Curtis Hylton.
We felt the outdoor areas of the Hives should be anything but ordinary. We’re also adamant about using nature-inspired street art in a way that induces a sense of awe and connection to the natural environment. Yet, such themes and style are not very common in street art. We were delighted when we came across the works of Curtis Hyton. It’s a match made in heaven for our purpose. Curtis happens to combine the love of nature and street art in a way we found perfect to go with the ethos of our brand.
“The theme of my work has grown to be heavily influenced by nature and our connection to it”
Curtis Hylton
Street art stands for freedom of creativity. For us, it also conveys purpose, identity, belonging, and pride. Spending time in nature has shown to unequivocally improve our mental wellbeing. Mural art is another strategy we use to create and enhance direct contact with nature within our spaces.
It makes our green spaces more inviting, casual, and relaxing, suiting our aim of encouraging our residents to spend more time outdoors. The importance of that cannot be overstated, since we nowadays spend more than 80% of our time indoors.
On top of all that, the murals turn our properties into recognisable landmarks in the area. They make people stop for a moment of admiration, and provide a source of pride for our Residents and Team.
“It’s refreshing to see graffiti as a global scene growing continuously, as well as becoming an accepted art form. Public street-art projects are great for all generations, they stimulate and inspire communities.”
Curtis Hylton
This time, at the opening of the first Hive in Oxford, we took a new turn with our design. This was driven by a request from a local community member for local wildlife species to be featured in our murals. We leavagred the launch of our latest property to make this happen. To promote people’s connection to their neighbourhood and in tribute to Curtis’s creative flow, in addition to brightening the space with our signature images of colourful exotic plants and fruit, we decided on the mural celebrating the local wildlife icon – the kingfisher.
We are particularly proud of choosing this design for the location, and of its placement right next to the logo of B-Hive Living. It fitted nicely with our brand values of promoting a positive and healthy lifestyle to our community and its surrounding environment while safeguarding our wildlife heritage for future generations. And surely the gifted hands of Curtis created the perfect canva for that.
“Anything botanical inspires me, nature is beautiful and I just want to paint it everyday! My paintings tend to be a mix of flowers merged with birds and other animals, their wings and bodies etc are intertwined with petals and leaves, like a sort of natural balance.”
Curtis Hylton
You can have a tour of our selected property if you are interested in moving in. Please enquire about the availability of bedrooms in our coliving Hives here. We are looking forward to meeting you. The design of the garden areas is just one of the carefully selected details that make coliving with B-Hive Living promote a more connected, healthy, and fulfilling life.
B-Hive Living is a wellness-focused coliving brand operating properties in Oxford and Bicester, UK, and now expanding internationally. We drive social change by exploring and promoting the concept of living well. We place it at the heart of our coliving design for a more connected, healthy and fulfilling lifestyle for our residents.
