Living In An Artist's Space

The beginning of our time in Hamburg was… complicated. Part of the complication was getting off at Reeperbaun station–sounds so cute but it’s deep in Hamburg’s red light district.

Another part of the initial complication was stepping into the space that would be our home for five nights.

After having a few days to rest, relax, and revitalize, we’re comfortable in what is a largely uncomfortable home.

We’re staying in an artist’s home that he shares with his young daughter. (Any child younger than our youngest now seems “young.”)

The home is sparce and very clean, which I love. And yet it is also quirky and antiquey and slightly pokey.

These are the stairs into the apartment. Red vinyl linoleum, pristine condition. You can practically hear Laverne and Shirley singing as you climb up them.

After a brief entryway you step into the kitchen/dining room/living room.

The apartment has high ceilings, lots of light, and a fantastic shower.

And its quirks.

The newspaper pile in the living room:

There’s the beginning of another pile in the main bedroom/office.

Below is the “bookshelf”? TV stand? Literal entertainment center? A statement about shifting media consumption?

But why are the books sidewise? What if I’m looking for a certain book?!

Buds tells me it’s an art installation, not an Ikea “schlong” stand.

These are the stairs to our bedroom loft:

The bottom two steps are multi-purpose since they can be moved all over. And it certainly looks dramatic.

We all love the hammock hanging from the industrial beams:

But right by the hammock you apparently also need huge mirrors just leaning against the wall:

There are also pieces of furniture/art werk/antiques sitting all around:

I am not really sure what these are. But they look “artsy.”

The bathroom is glorious:

But it also needs to create a moving picture by silhouetting the person using the bathroom:

The picture above is looking into the bathroom from the main bedroom/office.

It isn’t that there’s anything wrong with any of this. The space is interesting, but just slightly… off-kilter.

This space would not work for us if the children were younger or wild in any way.

Classic reason why, this random ladder just standing in our bedroom:

But the bed is comfy and the skylights let in delicious breezes at night:

I do keep expecting a dove (Buds: That’s what she keeps calling pigeons in this country for some reason) to be peeking down at us.

When all is said and done, sitting on the artsy stairs, looking at my crew:

and dreaming of taking a waterfall shower later:

I’m thankful to be here.