The difference between European flats and American apartmentsUpdated on January 6, 2009&Flats versus ApartmentsThere's an American Dream and a European one.
They seem to be growing more and more alike, while remaining distinctly different at times.
I've always lived in the American bubble, however, always captivated by the European realm.
I was lucky enough to gain an extra European Union passport and took off immediately.
The America/Euro debate is a big one.
I'm still contemplating the pros and cons of both bubbles.
For this hub I'm strictly sticking with the differences of the physical 'HOME' in each world.
For those that don't know, a British/Euro 'flat' is synonymous with the word, 'apartment' as we use in the States.
If I say I'm looking for a 'flat' in the States, people think I'm trying to be too Euro and sounding snotty.
If I say 'apartment' in England, people right away know I'm American and think I'm an idiot.
Basically, you need to always be on your A game and know where you are and to WHOM you're speaking to.- Top Ten Differences between the Flat and Apartment - 1) SPACEIn general, you can get a much BIGGER apartment in the States than anywhere in Europe.
(I'm speaking in general terms.
Yes - technically you could probably get a huge flat on some farm in Romania than in a city in the States)
Generally though, we have more space in America and therefore, produce larger living arrangements for cheaper. 2) A simple thing called a 'closet'!!!Europe has no closets.
They seriously do NOT have closets.
What do they do in order to store (ehem, CRAM) their belongings and clothes?
IKEA is their God.
They've invented every kind of wardrobe in the world - for shoes, pants, special socks/underwear one I randomly found, hats, suits, pullovers, etc. When you buy an apartment in States, a closet is naturally a part of the deal.
Because it makes sense to create a special place for one's clothes.
In Germany my parents had their clothes hanging on racks (the ones Americans generally use for old clothes in their attics or basements).
However, they had the racks in their bedrooms practically on top of one another.
Aesthetically speaking - it looks awful, but also think about the amount of dust, lint, and crap floating around in the air landing on your squished clothing.3) No bathroom CabinetsIn my experiences living in numerous different European countries, there were no cabinets.
You know, like the ones you have under your bathroom sink. Nothing.
Everyone's toiletry kit is either on top of the toilet seat, on some ledge you happen to find, or you're trying to keep everything under your right armpit while proceeding to brush your teeth.
In America, bathroom cabinets are a given.
Because it makes sense again.4) Germans take it to a whole new level and take sinks, curtain rods and light bulbs.Yeah, I don't get it.
When looking for a flat in Germany, many times, and I mean MANY times, you'll walk inside of an apartment and there is nothing there.
The people who lived there before you took the kitchen cabinets, sinks, bathroom toilets, bathtub, curtains, curtain rods, mirrors, and even the freakin' light bulbs!
I'm not exaggerating this story.
I know many families, including my own, that would apartment search and find this scenario on many occasions.
When we asked what happened to the kitchen sink, the response would be, "what do you mean?
the previous occupants took it.
just like they took their TV and couch."
Yeah......
Little different in America.
We don't walk out with the A/C unit or counter tops on our back.
Then again, you can argue that we take the washer/dryer and refrigerators.
Guess Europeans take that idea to a whole new level.5) No garbage disposal in the sinkI guess depending on which state you're in will determine the legality of using the most excellent invention called the garbage disposal or 'garborator' as I always called it.
Europe - no way.
Cutting the insides out of that chicken?
Well, be prepared to take out all of those guts by hand and place them into the trashcan.
In Europe there is no way you'll press a button and grind everything inside the sink and into the sewage drains.
Imagine washing dirty dishes every night.....6) Dryers?
Are you kidding me?This one absolutely amazes me.
There are NO driers in Europe! Have you been to England?
Do you know what the weather is like in London, Paris, Milan, Tirane, Prague, and almost 80 percent of every other European capital?
Cold, dark and rainy.
Not every day of the year, but generally, the weather is pretty crappy.
Now, the Europeans do this for many reasons.
One - the cost of using that amount of energy used by a drier, two - it's not the most environmentally friendly, and three - probably back to my point number 1 which is space again.
So, you may wonder, what do people do in order to dry their clothes?
Well, you can try getting the washer/dryer in one which is by no means a dryer.
It's simply a device that spins the hell out of your clothes ultimately draining it of water.
The main way people dry their clothes is simply the old fashioned way of close line.
Now, that makes sense right?
Think again.
How will you DRY your clothes on a close line in a climate that is cold, dark and rainy?
My point exactly.
You don't.
You somehow invent these crazy indoor clotheslines in your very small flat with no air circulation and attempt to rotate the clothing every 10 hours in order to help the water evaporate from the different ends.
By the end of this 1 to 3 days process, you never want to wash your clothes again.
You put on your uncomfortable, cardboard jeans and your stretched out, wrinkly shirt until months later when the germs and smell is so bad that you MUST attempt this ridiculous process all over again.
7) Carpet?
More, like rugs everywhereNo carpet in Europe.
Yeah, technically you can order a company to come in and add some carpet.
Generally though, no one has it.
You buy rugs and live off that smelly, disgusting rug for years.
Then, if you're like some Eastern European folk, you beat the hell out of that rug outside on some iron-rod commi metal bar next to the bored adolescent smoker kids.
I don't care what you say, the feeling of toe'ing your fluffy, white carpet after a long day of sweaty work is one of the best feelings on earth in America.
Haven't you seen Die Hard 1 when Bruce Willis toes the carpet in his hotel room?
I mean, "yipee ki yeah mother fu..."
The amount of school projects I completed on carpet as a kid, wrestling with my puppy on a warm portion of my parents' carpet, or even laying down to read the Sunday paper are all carpet experiences I thoroughly enjoyed.
Geez... I might have a carpet fetish.8) Frigerator size no comparisonThis one is easy.
Frigerators in Europe are similar, if not identical to the ones we all had in college.
Well, except that was college and not your adult life....
Almost every fridge (if I even had a fridge) in Europe sucked.
Small, smelly and no auto defrost.
Reminiscent of college or what?
Europeans argue it's cause they buy food every day at the local market and eat it fresh. Americans buy everything in bulk, buy it big, and therefore, need space to hold everything.
(Disclaimer - can you buy an American-sized fridge in Europe?
Of course, but again, for the MOST part most people don't have one.)9) A/C units?
Ice machines?No and no.
In Europe, use a fan.
Aside from flats, even most companies don't have air conditioning in their offices.
It's bizarre.
Sure the weather sucks for majority of the time, but summer can also be pretty damn hot.
You can't walk into your flat and cool off.
Buy a Pepsi or soda and for the most part it will be warm to cool - never American ICE cold.
Even some automobiles don't have air conditioning, but that's a separate issue.10) Funny windows with no screensOk, Europeans want to have funny windows that open in many different directions. No problem.
That's cool.
I can dig that.
I used to be able to flip my window in Germany in almost 360 degrees.
Only one part of the window was locked in and the rest was completely movable.
Now, what about screens?
It's a very simple invention but a genius one.
In America, it's a cool day and you want some cool air, then open up the window.
However, no bugs or mosquitoes will enter because of the lovely screen.
I used to play evil tricks on my dog and run from the outside to the indoors of my house and close the screen really fast and watch my dog crash into it.
No no, he didn't get hurt. Point being, in Europe if you tried that, insects and other animals would enter. A little screen can go far.Alright, my brain hurts from this list.
Again, there are always outliers with generalizations like this, but I do believe for the most part that these distinctions hold true.Now, should my list stop you from living in Europe?
Living in a small coffin, next to your IKEA dresser, with toiletry bag under your armpit, wearing cardboard jeans and ruffled collared shirt, on your rug, with a maximum of 4 beers in your college-sized fridge, sweating away from the heat and fighting off mosquitoes could all be worth it.
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