My flat – Моя квартира

Ben Kweller sings a song “My apartment” Having the following words;

“Sometimes I wish I had a farm
Where the only pollution is your cigarettes
Where your mind is clear.
But I like it here in my small space.
…the place where the sidewalks know my face
As I walk to

My apartment, the home where I hide
Away from all the darkness outside.

I'm there all the time…” -  and when I think about the meaning of these words I feel the same with regards to my own apartment where I live. Really It doesn’t matter whether your apartment is rented or it belongs to you. What matters is the feeling of home and safety “ away from the darkness of the street.” Sometimes when I walk along the street in the evening  I see lighted windows and think about the people who inhabit them and once and again agree that every person must have a place “to hide” from the whole world at least for some time.

There are several aspects which, influence the quality of our life and one of them is a place where we live.

It goes without saying that all of us have our own ideas about our home because it can't mean the same to all people. As for me I'm sure that homes are not just places of living. Home is our little world where we live according to our own rules and interests. It's a place where we feel comfort, warmth and safety. My own home should be quite large and spacious, because I hate tiny rooms with small windows. Undoubtedly it should be handy for bus stop, shops and all public places like clinics, schools, etc. Evidently all these things are significant, but nevertheless warm and friendly relations between members of the family are considerably more important than large rooms and modern furniture. I think that if you live under pressure in a flat of your dream it won't seem so wonderful, modernized and comfortable for you. And I will prefer to live in a small flat without particular modem conveniences, but where there is harmony and friendly atmosphere. It is true that all of us encourage warm relations between family members and all of us want to see the members of the family respecting, helping each other and sharing the same joys and troubles. I believe you will agree that these simple things help people to form the mood of friendly atmosphere in their homes. We say "East or West, home is best ", the English say "My home is my castle". I personally agree with these statements, because it is home that always awakens the most pleasant feelings and high emotions in my soul. Always after a hard day I return home and think "At last I am at home". For me there is no place like home.

 Though my house is situated rather far from the downtown I think my house is perfectly located. It is not far from the bus stop and I cannot say it is a great problem for me to get to any place in the town because public transport works well. It takes me only about five minutes to get to the post office, pharmacy or hairdresser. There are three schools, two kindergartens, about five shops, a church and a market not far from my house. I should say that it has never been a problem for me to get to the hospital, as both nursery and adult hospitals are separated from my house only by the road. And as far as the road is concerned it's not a busy one, that's why I can't say that noise troubles me.

 The only thing I don't like about my flat is the view from my windows because one of the windows in my flat faces a nine-storied grey building and all the others look a private neighborhood.

 From the first sight my house is just a grey and boring building. It looks like hundreds of other buildings in our town, but for me it is the best house in the world.

 I live on the second floor in a three-room flat. Our flat is always filled with happiness and joy. Even after the first few minutes in our flat you will fill all hospitality and friendliness of this place and the family which lives there. Our flat is very warm and cozy, so it makes you feel at home.

Having entered the apartment, you find yourself in a long hall. It is a place where we meet our guests and it's the place where you can get the first impression about our flat, that's why we decorated our hall in such way that each thing there creates the feeling of comfort. There is a grey carpet on the floor, but the walls and ceiling are papered white. Such contrast between the dark floor and the light walls is very spectacular. It is the darkest place in our flat, because we have only one small lamp there but the darkness makes our hall rather mysterious. Near the door there is a little seat and a mirror. A wardrobe with a coat racks stretches near the right wall but on the left wall there is only a long artificial flower and three pictures, made in one style.

The first to the right of the hall is my parents' bedroom. It is a very convenient room, though there isn't much furniture there. There is a double-bed near the wall and two bed-side tables by its sides with photos. In front of the bed there is my mom’s dressing table with a big mirror. It's the place where she spends some time in the morning, getting prepared to go to her office. There is always a lot of perfume on this table and the room is always filled with their scents. There is also a door to the balcony. In summer it is usually open and I like to enjoy the fresh air and cool swish of leaves that come from it.

 The next room - is my own bedroom. First of all I should say it is my favourite room in our flat. I have always tried to make my room comfortable, because to my mind your room is your face. My bedroom is the place where I wake up every morning to the refreshing smell of coffee from the kitchen and where every day of my life starts.

 Though my room isn't very large I can say that it is rather spacious for me because I live alone. My bedroom is also my study, so you can see a desk near the window and three bookshelves on the wall full of books. Near the desk there is my bed, with a bed-side table with the telephone on it. You can also find a wardrobe, a chest of drawers in my room and a fluffy carpet on the floor.

 In my opinion my room is very cool and light. It is always full of sounds of my favourite music. Certainly my room is very lovely and comfortable. Here I have a lot of beautiful things that make it funny and merry: I have a lot of toys which are on my bed and on the shelves. I collect postcards and miniature statues as well, that's why a lot of them are on the chest of drawers and on the shelves. But my room isn't very green, because I don't like flowers and frankly speaking I don't enjoy the view from my window.

 But in general I adore my bedroom and I always feel myself comfortable in it. I like to receive guests in my room and we like to listen to music together, to drink tea with sweets and candies and to talk about our problems, interests and news.

 As far as our living room is concerned I'd like to say that it is the largest and the busiest room in our flat. Every evening we gather together there and discuss some problems and events, watch TV or read magazines. This room is filled with cheerful and friendly humor; here you can always hear happy laughing and joyful voices.

 The walls in this room are white but sofa and armchairs are red. There is a table for magazines between two armchairs and near the front wall a wardrobe and a suite of furniture stand. There is also a TV set in the living room. We usually like to have a cup of coffee there and to talk.
To the right of the hall, in front of the living room, there is our kitchen with all its conveniences where we sit chatting for hours in winter. Our kitchen is rather small, but cozy and warm. It faces east, that's why there is a lot of sunshine, especially in the morning. The air of this room is usually filled with the delicious smells of my mother's cooking, because mainly she is the hostess of the kitchen.

 The walls are papered blue there. As scientists say blue is the color that is the most universally preferred, as blue rooms instill peacefulness, blue can also help us feel calm and confident, that's why I like this room and spend quite a lot of time there.

 A table and four stools are near the window with wonderful nicely- colored curtains. In the corner to the left of the door you can see a sink and a gas cooker. Next to the cooker there is a working top and over it there are wall cupboards.

 Between the kitchen and the living room there is a bathroom and a toilet. Our bathroom is rather large. Its walls are covered with blue tiles, but the floor with grey ones. In the front of the door there is a bath tub. Near it you can find a sink and a mirror over it with some shelves. There is also a back for clothes and a washing machine in this room. I'm sure that our bathroom is very stylish and nice.

So it's my flat, my "home, sweet home". Sometimes after a long journey I return home with such pleasure and happiness, that I feel myself like a baby that returns to his mother. I love every corner and every thing in my flat. "My home is my fortress", it is my territory, my place where I feel good and comfortable. Nobody can disturb me here.

Words and expressions

to rent a flat from — снимать квартиру у (кого-л.)

 to let a flat to — сдавать квартиру (кому-л.)

to furnish a flat — обставлять квартиру

 to redecorate a flat — произвести косметический ремонт квартиры

to renovate a flat — отремонтировать квартиру

cold-water flat — квартира без горячей воды

council flat — штаб-квартира

purpose-built flats — квартиры, построенные для сдачи в аренду

 block of flats — многоэтажный дом

bachelor flat — однокомнатная квартира

duplex apartment — квартира, расположенная в двух этажах с внутренней лестницей

efficiency apartment — рентабельное жилье, рентабельная квартира

walkup apartment — квартира в доме без лифта

garden apartment — садовый домик

high-rise apartment — высотный дом, многоэтажный дом

landlord, renter – арендодатель

elevator – лифт

kitchen unit — кухонный комбайн

dish washer  - посудомоечная машина

living room range  -  ассортимент жилой мебели

laundry washer – стиральная машина

to do the laundry — стирать белье

drier – сушилка, сушильный аппарат

lawn – лужайка перед домом

air conditioner – кондиционер

standard lamp – торшер

attic – чердак

basement – подвал

garage – гараж

parking lot - место стоянки автотранспорта