Communal Living on the California Coast
Author:Abigail Stone
Could communes be making a comeback? That’s the question I kept asking myself while watching Etsy’s video tour of La Selva, a shared living space located in Watsonville, CA. Owned by public radio producer Nikki Silva and eight other people, La Selva is a collective of three families sharing 10 acres of property overlooking Monterey Bay.
The area is comprised of four individual homes, a barn, artist studio, and one main house, all of which were built by hand by the group. A few agreed upon aesthetic points, like redwood siding and corrugated tin roofs, keep the exterior of the buildings looking uniform, but as far as the interiors go, it’s completely up to the owners. Happily, good taste seems to run strong between all the residents.
The misty gardens, large outdoor kitchen, and bay views had me ready to gather my own coalition of the willing. Less enticing were the shared kitchen and shower areas located only in the main home. Well, they had me until that part.
Then again, if any freewheeling, privacy-loving architects want to band together and buy up some coastal acreage with views that rival this one, feel free to hit me up; I just might be game.
Link via The Kitchn
