Richard has been living at the Omega House co-living and co-working space in Bucharest for the past six months. He will be 42 in August and was born in Guildford, UK. He first arrived in Bucharest two-and-a-half years ago and, before “trying out” co-living, he had been living in rented apartments.
Dana Tudose-Tianu visited Omega House and interviewed Richard to learn more about what co-living is and what it offers him.
Richard: “I arrived at OH in February 2019, traveling around South-East Asia earlier that year. I’ve been renting so far, throughout my 2-year stay in Romania, prior to trying out co-living. But I have found that here, at Omega House, the community life is less lonely. It’s comfortable here, I’ve gotten to know the staff and I’ve met a lot of fantastic guests who have come and gone.”
Living under the same roof (and in the same room, unless one opts for a private room) with strangers may seem daunting to some. But for millenials and the “Z” generation, co-living is a solution to economic as well as social challenges. As young people from these generations see more value in authentic experiences and living in like-minded communities, co-living offers what low-priced rentals, hostels or dorms cannot.
Ciprian Jdera, 34, the founder of Omega House, is not only the owner, but also a resident of Omega, which is located near Piata Romana.
“We host young people from around the world at Omega House,” says Ciprian. “Not just digital nomads from Poland, Italy, France, India or the United States, but also young people from Romania, who choose to live here because renting an apartment in Bucharest wouldn’t satisfy all their needs. They come to try out a new style of accommodation and they discover a new way of living”, he adds, in a recent interview for OZB.
Omega House is a unique concept in Romania. It hosts, under the same roof, a co-living space with 8 private rooms and 2 shared rooms, a café, a co-working hub, a shared kitchen, laundry room, entertainment/events area, and a yard (with hammocks, too!).
What’s interesting is that co-living seems to be expanding beyond being a solution for the younger generation. Richard from the UK is not a millenial. Yet living at Omega House offers him the support he needs in his social and professional life.
“I’m a qualified mechanical engineer”, he says to me. “I used to run a manufacturing facility in London, producing equipment for the drinks industry, for dispensing beer. Since I’ve been in Romania, the first year and a half I moved here, an English friend of mine advised that I go and work with him in real estate. I did, for 18 months, and it gave me a great opportunity to know Bucharest and Brasov. Right now, I am looking into importing equipment from the UK to service the Romanian beer market, which is a new and exciting venture”, he adds.
In the end, I ask him to describe living at Omega House, in three words.
“Generous, supportive and progressive”, he responds without hesitation.
You can find more information about Omega House and Co-living at www.omegahouse.ro and
