Apartment Living, Part II

All buildings convey character of some kind and affect us when we see them. Houses, apartments, office blocks: they all have some impact. The external part of an apartment building can very much influence how we might feel about living there.The colorful shutters, as we also saw in the Apartment Living, Part I post, brightens this facade and gives the otherwise somewhat worn look of the building a community feel and friendly atmosphere.

This front is well maintained and the focus is strongly on the balconies and windows. A balcony makes a huge difference to the experience of living in an apartment. If the balcony catches the sun then this gives the residents an opportunity to be in the sun in the relative privacy and convenience of their home.

A resident's selection of an apartment can depend strongly on whether it has a balcony, its size, and when that balcony is in the sun.




Some people decorate their balconies with lots of flowers. Tables with sun shades enhance a balcony's use as a living space in the outdoor air.








Other buildings have more of a stately look to their exterior. There's almost the impression that these balconies are more for show or giving the odd speech to passersby than for any real practical use.


The insides of apartment buildings vary enormously, even from one identical layout of apartment to another. Sometimes a modest outside can yield a beautiful indoor living space. It's impossible to guess what a person's home looks like from the appearance of the outside.

Some apartments are very high, with their window space looking down on most other buildings. The tops of trees are far below, and the ground looks amazingly distant.
Sky panoramas can be quite magnificent in such apartments. The view is almost cinematic. High apartments can be both exhilarating and also isolating because they're so remote from the ground.

Apartments that are constructed like very large houses can also be very nice to live in. Looking out, the views are similar to what they would be from an upper floor in a house. With the windows open there are all the familiar sounds of birds, people walking nearby, car doors shutting, and all the more natural sounds of being close to the earth.

There are many different places to live and many different ways to live. In crowded regions the majority of people live in apartments. Some apartments are bigger than some houses. And there are all kinds for whatever circumstances and tastes a person may have.

Apartment Living, Part I

Apartment blocks are a common feature of modern times.




They provide a compact means of housing many people on one relatively small piece of land.


In areas where there's a shortage of space it's inevitable that there will be many apartment buildings.

Large numbers of people live under the same roof often knowing only a very few, if any, of their immediate neighbors. Society has come to be segmented with many people living in relative isolation to those around them. Communities used to be bound by the proximity of families, business and friends. These days many of these elements of a community are scattered over large distances and aren't necessarily present locally.

There can be great advantages to living in apartments. Some blocks have pleasant grounds where children can play safely. Heating and maintenance are usually more economical than they are for a house.Shops, schools, community centers and public transport are often located nearby.

Apartment blocks come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Some are very modern looking, others have been around a while and retain an old city look.










Some are quite glaringly dashing and impossible to overlook.








Others have a simple, quiet homely appearance.











Some apartments are mixed right in with businesses in the main part of a city.



These look more like large town houses rather than apartment blocks. And even though they're in the center of a city they have a charm that adds to their convenience.






These apartments are more in the tradition of the old town style, with shops down below. The colorful shutters add a great flavor to the outside, making it bright and fun to look at. It's surprising how the quaintness of this gives the scene a feeling of calmness; there's little clue that just round the corner is one of the busiest streets in the city.

The exteriors of apartments, and the types of buildings they're in, greatly influence the feel of a neighborhood.

For more about apartments, stay tuned for Part II.