Why are there no hallways in Europe?

The absence of hallways in European houses and apartments is not only a tribute to tradition. The lack of space for construction forces us to come up with the most economical housing options. And this is the main reason.

The second reason for the lack of hallways is the high cost of heating. Europeans freeze in winter - literally. Save gas. Many houses have fireplaces, which partially save the situation, but a fireplace cannot heat a large area.

There is another, rather strange reason for the traditional lack of hallways in European houses. It's much cleaner there than here. You come in clean shoes, which don’t even require a mat at the entrance. And why do shoes get dirty and dusty there less than ours? It's a mystery, though.

What our hallways look like

In Russia, the hallway is an integral part of housing. There’s no way without her. It has been this way since time immemorial. The canopy is the same hallway. They were needed so as not to let the house get cold and not bring dirt into it. Outerwear and shoes were left here. In addition, the canopy simultaneously served as a warehouse, barn and refrigerator.

It is no coincidence that in our time the cost of an apartment increases significantly if it has a spacious hallway or hall.

Even budget apartments must have at least a tiny hallway. Here, literally every free centimeter is used for hangers, overshoes, and mirrors.If the architecture and area of ​​the apartment allow, built-in wardrobes are made in the hallway for clothes and even for storing “long-lasting” products that do not require a refrigerator. Typically, such cabinets have mezzanines where seasonal items are stored.

Reference! Owners of vestibules for several apartments often use them, for example, to store large bags on wheels. Some people put locked chests with... But let this remain the secret of the owners.

But happy owners of large halls often combine an entrance hall with a living room in the hall, installing floor lamps, comfortable armchairs, coffee tables and even sofas there. And in this they are closer to the inhabitants of Europe, who traditionally did not have a hallway at all. Clothes are usually stored in built-in or regular cabinets. Shoes are also placed there.

Italian houses and apartments with a hall-living room

I’ll tell you about Italy, because I lived there for many years and saw everything with my own eyes.

Italian apartments, like houses, rarely have hallways. Usually you enter a large living room directly from the street. Sometimes there is also a kitchen here.

If there is no built-in wardrobe, a coat hanger is usually placed right next to the door. In my common-law husband’s apartment there was a shoe shoe in the bathroom, and it was very convenient. Although, of course, at first it was unusual to walk through the entire living room in street shoes to change shoes in the bathroom.

In the hall there was a soft leather sofa, a coffee table and a piano on which the children learned to play.

A fairly spacious kitchen was located in the same space and was in no way separated from the hall.

We spent all our free time in this space and loved this spaciousness, in comparison with which the rooms seemed cramped and limiting freedom.

I must say that it is not entirely convenient to live next to the front door. You can hear any noise from the stairwell. Are neighbors passing by, is someone coming down from the upper floors, is a door slamming in the entrance, or a cleaning lady is washing the floors - all this is heard in detail.

Sometimes neighbors may accidentally see you in a negligee through an open door. After all, you are in your kitchen, and they are on the staircase. Gradually I replaced my dressing gowns with more civilian clothes. Habit is second nature. I still walk like this, although now I am separated from the stairwell by the hallway.

Italian houses with hallways

Below is a photo of a typical Italian apartment with a small hallway. A large kitchen is hidden behind a glass door. To the right of the front door is a fairly large storage room. There are two spacious shelves and a shoe shoe here. But there is not enough space for clothes; we hang them on hooks nailed to the back of the door. This drawback is more than compensated for by the presence of spacious wardrobes in the rooms.

In the arch there is a table with a lower shelf. This is an ideal place to store necessary papers and prospectuses. We put the keys to the apartment, notes with urgent matters, and current accounts on the table.

As you can see, the Italians are also gradually coming to the conclusion about the need for a hallway, which significantly saves space. Compared to such an entrance hall, the living room-hall requires much more square meters. And now we spend our free time in the large kitchen-dining room, where there is a comfortable sofa.