Charming spaces

The stair in the courtyard, by objetsparis.

Charm is something we looked for while apartment hunting, and I fell in love with this one because it had loads. What it doesn't have loads of is room.

I don't know if Parisiennes have small wardrobes because they have no space or if they have no space because they have small wardrobes. Much more interesting question than the chicken and the egg, or at least more esthetically pleasing to contemplate. In any case, we've unpacked 3 1/2 of our four large suitcases and managed to find room for nearly everything we'll use in the next couple of months, barring a blizzard. Should that arise, there's the other half of that last suitcase left to break into.

The suitcases themselves are a bit of a problem, in that they're big, bulky, and obviously there. In keeping with the space-at-a-premium Parisian philosophy, every nook and cranny (how do you say that in French?) already holds the bits and pieces of our landlady's life and won't hold a pair of gloves, much less a few large red suitcases. At the moment they're tucked behind sofas and next to worktables. I'm thinking of piling them up and voilà, a coffee table, currently lacking in the apartment. Where do you suppose she puts the champagne bottle between pours?