Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-01
A FRENCH FLAT.


A FRENCH FLAT.
A Pen Picture of the Apartment
Houses Of France.
"Appartement a louer," or, in
simple English, Flat to let," is
sign that meets the view at every turn
in Paris. And still building goes on
as if there were not vacant apart
ment to be had, whole rows and
blocks OF houses remaining empty for
months together. There is but very
small sprinkling among them of pri-
vate dwellings, or "hotels," as they
are called, and with so II uch to choose
from it would seem to be an easy mat
ler to be suited.
Ii there is no restrictions as to local
ity and there are no American preju-
dices to do away with in regard to
steam heat, set washtubs and bath
rooms, then it is easy to find a pleas
ant apartment. There are airy rooms,
electric bells and an absolute feeling
of safety against fire in the well-built
houses. The entrance is not made
from steps, but from under the porte
cochere. The house with an elevator
is the exception, not the rule, in Paris.
Americans are evidently short
breathed and weakened, for it is
they who complain of the stairs.
The most expensive fiat in French
apartment-hous is the premier, which
is two flights up. 1t is always more
handsomely decorated and has loftier
ceilings than the others. Balconies
are built at this and the fifth floor.
The entresol is the story between the
ground floor and the first floor. There
is a fifth and sixth floor. The former
is not too plebeian for a man like
Jules Simon, the journalist and legis-
lator, to occupy, or Theodore Stanton,
the clever son of Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, who, with his French wife,
is fast becoming popular in social
circles in Paris.
The sixth floor is always devoted to
the domestics of the entire house, al
though there are often surplus rooms
that are let out to lodgers at the mod
crate yearly rental of $40 or $25
room. The price is higher if there is
a fireplace, but the floor is always of
stone, much greater surety against
fire than the ordinary wood floors. 1t
is possible to be perfectly respectable
and occupy such room. 1t is also
possible to be the occupant of
premier in a fine house in which the
sixth floor neighbors are anything but
respectable.
Americans, particularly women,
when they look at French apartments
for the first time, are struck with the
number of reception rooms and the
small kitchens. The ante-chamber
might be dignified by the name of re-
ception room, and gives very agree
able impression to the visitor if it
were not for the necessary hat-rack
and umbrella stand. The word can
not be translated by "hall" because
that but half expresses its meaning.
1t it is generally square or oblcng, is
furnished with pictures and cur
tains and is otherwise tastefully fitted
up.
There are two drawing-rooms in
apartments of any pretence. The
larger room is only used on ''at
home" days and state occasions; the
smaller one is the ordinary sitting
room. If visitors arrive during the
early part of the day they are gener-
ally shown to madame's bedroom,
where she invariably spends her
mornings.
But the kitchen is the room which
shows best what may be done with
little space and much ingenuity. 1t is
usually about six feet wide and ten
feet long, and it is lighted by one small
window. 1t is palatial if it is any
larger or better lighted. Every avail
able space on the wall is hung with
bright copper saucepans.' At least
two rows Of shelves contain unique
and curious utinsils for cooking.
Fancy colored papers hang from the
shelves like a fringe, and give a very
tidy look to the room.
Next the kitchen there is always
staircase which is used by the SER
wants and trades people. 1t is very
narrow and generally dark, but al
ways spacious and clean. The bath
room is more of nuisance than
convenience as it is arranged in a
French flat. There is an enormous
tub, to be sure, and plenty of cold a.
ter, but the hot water must be heated
expressly for the bath in small
boiler which stands in the bathroom,
and for which gas or oil is used.
The heating arrangements for the
rooms are on the most frugal scale,
but that is chiefly because wood and
coal are $11 a ton Steam heat is un-
known, and in most houses there is
no heat furnished by the proprietor.
In the new quarters when the land
lords cater to the American tenants
and tastes there is a furnace or
calorifere in the cellar, which supplies
heat in the public halls and gives a
trifing amount in the ante-oom of
each apartment.
The loge is always within, and on
one side of the porte cochere, and
when the great double door is closed
some one must always be there to an
swer the bell. The door is opened
from the loge by means of q pulley,
and permission has to be demanded
to 60 out as we'll as come in when it
is closed.-[New York Mail and Ex-
press.