Communal living is not something we have addressed too much during the house tour explorations. Here is an upwards of 4000 square foot loft full of artists in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
As much of a cliche as such a scenario may be at this point, I thought it would be a good idea to get a peek inside one.
Check out their ingenuity and pragmatism.
There are three units within the one large space and each unit is subdivided into a couple of bedrooms. Each unit's owner(s) have taken the initiative to personalize and develop their own space using salvaged materials and sustainable techniques.
In one unit, they have created a dance floor with radiant heating beneath a well varnished hardwood floor. This will be used as a dance floor. floor heating is one of the most efficient ways to heat a large space with high ceilings. As heat rises, it makes sense for the source to be as low as possible.
It is so sad to see so many loft units with very ceilings and heating units that shoot air overhead. This is a terrible waste and very frustrating. (I say this from personal
experience.)
One of the bedrooms in the unit with the heated dance floor also boasts radiant heating and another bedroom uses age old techniques to try to capture existing heat trends.
The occupant has a summer bed and a winter bed. In the winter, she climbs into her carved wood loft, about 8 feet above ground, and takes advantage of the warm air up high. In the summer, she sleeps in a fold-out bed on the ground floor to cash in on the cool down low.
Swings, huge kitchen tables, great shelving and storage devices, and great views are all details that make this space easily livable. When it comes down to it, we want to be able to live in the spaces we create for ourselves, and to live well. these artists have made great headway towards that ideal through the use of simple, inexpensive materials and hard work. Super Sleuth JS
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I have one question. How many bathrooms do these 10 people share?
Oooh! I love this, especially that winter/summer loft and the fabulous arched window... Thanks for sleuthing and sharing!
One fridge? I live alone and can barely fit my grub in my fridge.
They probably eat out a lot and shower at the gym.
I truly love the ceiling level swings. Are they functional? I have a fantasy of having trapeze swings in a living space.
i actually remember the first time this was posted and I loved it back then too.
view kristian's profile
Is communal living a cliche? I didn't know that.
view lisa2 in austin's profile
The fridge?
Years ago I went to a friend of a friend's loft that was shared with 4 other people in what was the photo district. There were five full-sized refrigerators (probably salvaged) lined up in the huge space that served as a kitchen. Each one had a chain and padlock around it. "It's such a pain wake up to discover that all of your food has been borrowed overnight," the communal-loft member said.
view barbara's profile
I get such a wave of energy from seeing space like this, where the customs and rules go out the window, and the people who live there have so much freedom over the ways they establish their space.
Love the way the convex mirror composes what it reflects!
view Aulaire's profile
Ah! I miss my communal living days...all of 4 years ago!!! Had a 5000sq, 2 floor space with 30 feet ceilings, all exposed beams that converged into a dome at the center (used to be a ballroom), and oodles of exposed brick in Chicago. Lived with 6 other people. we had 2 bathrooms and a mobile room. we used the space for performances and exhibitions. we probably paid a fraction of what these folks pay in w'burg (2100..but the heating bills in the winter...what a drag!).
it was the swing that got me in these pictures. we had a swing...and a slide! i wish i had pictures of the old homestead, but alas....thanks for posting this!
view frontiersperson's profile
I suppose it's difficult to organize cleaning up after one's self in communal living.
view right angle's profile