“Kathleen, just a quick note to say that the kind of closet bathroom you described recently is very workable. You could certainly rent the place you’re buying in Paris as-is with this kind of bathroom. We lived with a closet bathroom for one-and-a-half years in Paris and never thought twice about it. It worked perfectly although we had to carefully explain to guests that they had to pull the shower curtain over the door or else they would flood the entry hall! We had a removable wooden-slat-device that stayed in place except when taking a shower. (Another touch we had to carefully explain to guests.) None of our guests ever complained, and I certainly never had issues with it.
“Also, we had a one-person kitchen. There was a two-burner hot plate, a small fridge by American standards (no separate freezer), a window cooler (our building was built at the turn of the last century), and a small sink. No counter space to speak of. I think we bought a small electric oven, which we kept on top of the fridge. We cooked feasts in that small kitchen. We used our bedroom to do the staging. We loved the place except that it was too cold in the winter as there was no central heating in the building and all the heat escaped through the poorly insulated walls. It was also a four-story walk-up. That might keep me from renting it again, but I could easily live with the closet-bath and one-man kitchen again.
“Like the place you are looking at, our place was very well designed. And probably about the same size. It was built for two families, and each had its own room and shared the kitchen space. I’m not sure what was originally in the bathroom-closet, as when the building was built the only toilets in the building were on the ground floor for everyone to use.”
–Vicki T., Thailand
Continue reading: Christmas Traditions Overseas
