Friend Etsy on Youtube & Blip.tv | Subscribe to Etsy’s iTunes Podcast | MP4 Verson
Like all our videos, feel free to re-post and embed the video on your blog!
(music by Forrest Lewinger, animation by JuliaPott)
While traveling to help promote Etsy as a sponsor of the Bay Area Maker Faire, I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to visit the wondrous place that is La Selva. After a beautiful sunlight-through-the-mist drive down the winding seaside road of Highway 1, I reached Watsonville, CA, and eventually La Selva, where Nikki Silva, a public radio producer best known for her work as one half of the Kitchen Sisters, greeted me. Nikki led me through the communal home that she and eight others have built for themselves in over thirty years of hard toiling work. Naturally we waited all day for a break in the fog so I could get a shot of the majestic view overlooking Monterey Bay.
Davia Nelson, the other half of the Kitchen sisters, above left and Nikki on the right.
Any high-end designer home may be engineered by master architects and built by contractors for millions, but part of the beauty of this place is that it was designed and built by nine people, who wanted nothing more than a place to call home. I suppose it was to their great fortune that one of the original nine happened to be a master architect and builder, but even so, La Selva is built largely from reclaimed materials from other buildings in the Santa Cruz area that had either burned down or were being remodeled. The stories that Nikki shared of how and where they sourced building materials were both industrious and inspiring. La Selva was built on the weekends, one house at a time, step by salvaged marble step.
La Selva is filled with the families’ interesting collections, including Nikki’s sock monkey hoard.
While Nikki attests that there was no intention of building a commune per se, it is very much a communal living situation. They are all partners in the shares of a single plot of land, and each partner or couple has a housing space within the whole compound based on their share. On the property, there are four separate houses, a large barn, a storage shed and an art studio. There is also a main house that has the kitchen, living room, and bathhouse (I didn’t pry). In total, eight unique yet cohesive structures share the property of gardens, fields, and forest, overlooking farmland and the pacific ocean. For those living at La Selva, they eat dinner together every night, take weekly turns with the meal preparation and cleaning of the kitchen, and share in a remarkable sense of togetherness that is much like that of a family.
As the sun seemed to slip into the sea, closing my window of opportunity to keep shooting this wonderland, the kind folks at La Selva were gracious enough to have me for dinner. I expect this is their tradition for many a welcome guest. After dinner, we tuned in to a local Santa Cruz radio station to hear Nikki’s daughter, Molly, recite a recent piece of her writing for which she had earned an award. It was a touching moment to sit with the group of people who had collectively raised Molly and hear her voice over the radio waves, the medium of her mother’s legacy. It’s hard not to imagine that every evening there is just as spectacular.
Much of the original art seen on the walls of La Selva can be found in the shop of Nikki’s husband, Charles Prentiss. The vintage radio shown above is from johnnyvintage.
Watch more There’s No Place Like Here Videos| Shop Local Santa Cruz
Looking for more styles and interiors? Check out our video series, There’s No Place Like Here, where creative types show us their unique spaces — infused with their aesthetic and filled with the treasures they collect. Get involved and show us your amazing space in this Flickr pool.
91 comments
Sign in to add your ownSusanFaye says:
What a great concept and what beautiful, creative spaces! Very inspiring!
2 years ago
pinkytoeclothing says:
Wow, this article was simply amazing. What an incredible story, truly inspiring!
2 years ago
foamywader says:
I love this series!
2 years ago
poppyswickedgarden says:
THis is an Absolutley wonderful story! WE have a 4 apartment complex ourselves with 3 different ETSY artists living in them! It is wonderful to share and dine and create together!
2 years ago
SeaFindDesigns says:
loved this!!!
2 years ago
DreamzBoutique says:
love the story
2 years ago
LaveMeSoapCo says:
wow!
2 years ago
VintageEye says:
Lovely story!
2 years ago
aBreathofFrenchair says:
Great video! I enjoyed viewing their shared community...even the bathroom! :)
2 years ago
Vanessa says:
poppyswickedgarden, add some photos to the flickr group we started for this series. We'd love to see your guys' place! http://www.flickr.com/groups/theresnoplacelikehere/ I got to visit La Selva when I was working on the Sonic Memorial Project with Nikki and Davia in 2002. It felt like home. I never wanted to leave. To this day, I dream about having such a wonderful (and affordable) living situation with family and friends. Nikki, you are an inspiration as always! Everyone should check out the Kitchen Sisters' radio documentaries. So great.
2 years ago
MyMoms says:
Very inspiring & creative spaces! love the picks. Thank you!
2 years ago
WoodPigeon says:
sounds great! amazing story!
2 years ago
UglyBaby says:
Drooling.
2 years ago
slidesideways says:
So so beautiful and inspirational. We should all be able to live together like this. Thanks for sharing your story!
2 years ago
fallenpeach says:
this is an idea that has been thrown around my circle of friends - it's great to see that it can be done.
2 years ago
LuuLuu5150 says:
Gorgeous! It makes me want to start following my dream of having a small hobby farm. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful home!
2 years ago
shantishanty says:
i had a dream like this when i was younger...i'm so glad it has been a reality for some!
2 years ago
marymary says:
So inspiring!
2 years ago
TheCottageCheese says:
What a beautiful place! I dream of building a mini version of this - a weekend retreat of tiny homes and artist/writing studios. Great inspiration!
2 years ago
FrillyButts says:
Wow! What a beautiful place to live!
2 years ago
blueskyclouds says:
Love those beautiful succulents!
2 years ago
paramountvintage says:
absolutely beautiful! the tin roofs, the garden, the outdoor pizza kitchen....what a dream!
2 years ago
BlackStar says:
great piece! LOL @ $8.00 sq. ft!
2 years ago
sherrytruitt says:
This is so amazing, my Dad moved from Brooklyn to Napa and lived very similarly. Such great memories.
2 years ago
daniellexo says:
Dreamy! I love how the salvaged pieces inspired the construction.
2 years ago
VixVintage says:
What a beautiful story, thank you!
2 years ago
poppyfox says:
Beautiful place!
2 years ago
Furiousdreams says:
This is my favorite Storque article yet! Takes me back to my hippie roots and shows how folks can live together harmoniously and with great design. Love it. Thanks, posting on my blog.
2 years ago
stubborndogAD says:
All I've got is "wow!" What a beautiful home!
2 years ago
Horticopia says:
Having originally come from the Santa Cruz area myself, I'm not surprised by the wealth of creativity inspired by that magical place. Happy Gardening
2 years ago
ancientfuture says:
such a great story. i lived in an urban style communal living arrangement in davis, ca for a while when i first moved to california. it was a magical place filled with so much love and creativitiy and family! thanks for taking me back and reminding me of that feeling... xo
2 years ago
MagicMarkingsArt says:
WoW! I am enthralled, and would love to see more. Just curious...has anyone ever done a film documentary on this amazing place? I will definitely check out the kitchen sisters radio documentaries.
2 years ago
recycledwares says:
i've always wanted to try communal living - this so inspires me to do so. but would take me years to get where you are, with the lovely buildings and landscape.
2 years ago
girltuesdayjewelry says:
Sounds amazing. I'd love to see it in person.
2 years ago
bitfolky says:
i am so stoked to see this story. we're trying to do the same thing. much work to be done but our little yurt is up and there's a combined total of 7 kids screaming through the trees.... love the communal kitchen and bathing spaces. great idea...now on to find me some 50ft trusses...
2 years ago
shizendesigns says:
How cool is this story?
2 years ago
Iammie says:
Love it!
2 years ago
ericawalker says:
what a beautiful home! i love the whole idea of working from salvaged materials.
2 years ago
1AEON says:
what? loove those monkeys!!! nice story!
2 years ago
allthosethrees says:
How amazing. $8 per sq foot?! A little different to London living. Haha. Thanks for this heart-warming & inspiring post!
2 years ago
designlab443 says:
I love the whole idea of this style of living... not sure about the showers... but the rest is awesome!
2 years ago
ultravioletvintage says:
Fabulous and definitely inspiring!
2 years ago
bhangtiez says:
cute, luv the sock monkies!!
2 years ago
chocolateandsteel says:
what a beautiful house, compound. I love the architectural details and the openness of it. I'm not sure if there are 9 other people I could live with for that long but I'm glad it works for them:)
2 years ago
EJPcreations says:
What a touching story.
2 years ago
bklynstitch says:
Wow, that was great! The music was perfect for that too.
2 years ago
brianslittlegirl says:
what else can I say? Inspiring!
2 years ago
thewheatfield says:
This is so inspiring! I'm lucky enough to be moving into a farm commune in under a week!!! For years, my dream has been to get a little barn studio, and I just so happened to find this amazing nook. The people at the farm are wonderful too :) Thanks for sharing this great video - it made my day!
2 years ago
BLUERAINBOW says:
great story... and charming people!
2 years ago
monkeyandsquirrel says:
how wonderful! so beautiful too :)
2 years ago
babook says:
Great video inside with the nice place and story !! perfect house : )
2 years ago
sean11 says:
I think this is my favorite No Place Like Here. Totally amazing.
2 years ago
abianchi says:
Lovely Story!
2 years ago
mooshoopork says:
ooh! ive always had a dream of living on a commune! hehe, the whole.. "it takes a village" seems ideal to me :)
2 years ago
blueberryshoes says:
um. IM SORRY WHAT? this is a dream.
2 years ago
Art2ArtColorado says:
LOVE this... especially the architectural salvage... the glass block, the rafters... i could go on & on. beautiful! thank you for sharing!
2 years ago
vesselsandwares says:
That was a really lovely. Thanks for sharing!
2 years ago
marikoartstudio says:
the ultimate lifestyle (^_^) admire people like that in ca my dream... what a wonderful story, thanks
2 years ago
OwlandMouse says:
the gardens are soo pretty!
2 years ago
katieanneclothing says:
Truly a wonderful story, thank you!! :O)
2 years ago
fasola says:
great work. you were ahead of ur time. love it!
2 years ago
mosey says:
wonderful. so wonderful!
2 years ago
JeannineRobertsRoyce says:
beautiful to live out the creativity of relationship with others, combining all the talents of people committed to making it work. (hope the weird spam post above gets removed soon.)
2 years ago
Sukiezw says:
This looks like such a wonderful place to live and raise children...very inspiring.
2 years ago
orchardfarmsoap says:
la bella vida, thanks for sharing
2 years ago
MetroGypsy says:
Ah! To quote your words it's "a wonderland" indeed! A true little Shangri-La! Simply beautiful...
2 years ago
dumbo says:
This is fighting fon my Top 1 with "Something's hiding here". Wonderful spaces!!! We want more like those! Definetely MORE!!!! :)
2 years ago
PhatGrrl says:
Amazing place to share with like minded people.
2 years ago
DIPdesigns says:
I feel inspired!! There are many talents out there :)
2 years ago
amcorrao says:
I am so inspired by your living situation. I've always wondered how I would live in such a communal way and still have my own space to create my art projects. I am amcorrao@etsy.com and need help selling on this site.
2 years ago
BeauBazaar says:
What a beautiful, practical, dreamy place.
2 years ago
raghousenternational says:
Absolutely amazing. I love it. I am that much more inspired to continue to make it to a heavenly place like that! Ren http://www.raghousenternational.etsy.com
2 years ago
aehinto says:
this is ridiculously beautiful. i am so in love and so inspired!
2 years ago
EcoFelt says:
I really enjoyed seeing that! Thanks for sharing.
2 years ago
deniseks says:
This just proves you can live the creative life! Thanks for this affirmation. I want to join you! I live in Scotts Valley.....
2 years ago
ColourflyNaturals says:
i want to watch this again and again, thanks!
2 years ago
Spiralmystery says:
Looks like heaven to me.
2 years ago
MetroGypsy says:
Watched again after a long subway ride, love it even more! :)
2 years ago
DodgeStationPottery says:
Wow! Such a great story. I'm trying to do the same thing but roll reversal. Even though my parents are artisans, I'm trying to start the family business and keep it going so we can all live the way they did and do--for their art, craft, and surroundings! This is what I came home to try and start up, beautiful I think: http://www.dodgestationpottery.com/
2 years ago
Knight27 says:
This is amazing! Very inspiring, thank you for sharing.
2 years ago
creamspyder says:
All those of us who are inspired, (in my case I have to admit that may actually be 'jealous'!) - isn't it odd how we can feel an affinity to that particular kind of lifestyle, and yet the vast majority of us live .....well what is it....? Who 'designed' what we masses 'put up with'? Was it chaos and laziness.... I wonder. Ahhh.... seriously, it is lovely that those folk have created a physical, delightful, living environment that most of us who have stopped to comment found very appealing - apart from blueberryshoes - who I admire for her honesty! Just thinking, it takes a certain 'mix' of characters wouldn't you say. I must admit, I seem to be finding society difficult to relate to, 'fitting in' means conform, and or shut your mouth. Perhaps the real attraction is living with fellow humans 'on a similar wavelength'? :D
2 years ago
littlebearknits says:
what a unique place to live! you've really made it your own. i can't believe it only cost appx. $8/sq ft. Amazing!
2 years ago
junebird says:
Beautiful!
2 years ago
littleclouds says:
That is amazing, beautiful beautiful house and I can't believe how bargainous it is! I don't think I would do well living in a commune though, maybe if they were all good friends then that would be lovely !
2 years ago
linensisters says:
Super! What an amazing journey of thirty years of hard work to make your dreams come true.....utopia! Cheers!
2 years ago
somethingshidinghere says:
yep, we're inspired. anyone want to buy land and build houses with us???
2 years ago
pasin says:
How amazing
2 years ago
TheWinglessBird says:
I;ve only just discovered these! I'm excited!
1 year ago
Tirabaralla says:
It would be difficult for me to live like that but i deeply respect it and even more forthissame reason, beautiful.
1 year ago
rosa2030 says:
"Just like a family the good out weighs the bad." Love it!
355 days ago
Becky from RetrofitStyle says:
Beautiful article! Reminds me of my hippie days in the 1960's and early 1970's, minus the real life jobs and electricity! Thanks so much.
7 days ago