A ''chambre de bonne'' is a type of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

apartment An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...

consisting of a single room in a

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Comm ...

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

or apartment building. It is generally found on the top floor and only accessible by a staircase, sometimes a separate "service staircase". Initially, these rooms were intended as the bedroom for one of the family's domestics, and the name originates from the colloquial name for such maids: a "bonne à tout faire". Today, ''chambres de bonne'' are usually the cheapest rung on the Parisian letting market, and are primarily

rented Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for a ...

by less well-off

workers The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic regio ...

and

students A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementary ...

. They are also in high demand among workers who wish to maintain a small room or postal address in a big city, especially Paris. Due to the social level of the envisaged occupants, ''chambres de bonne'' are characterised by their tight proportions. The rooms usually have a

floor area In architecture, construction, and real estate, floor area, floor space, or floorspace is the area (measured as square feet or square metres) taken up by a building or part of it. The ways of defining "floor area" depend on what factors of the buil ...

of around , which is sometimes accentuated by being in a

garret A garret is a habitable attic, a living space at the top of a house or larger residential building, traditionally, small, dismal, and cramped, with sloping ceilings. In the days before elevators this was the least prestigious position in a bu ...

. They tend to offer minimal facilities:

toilets A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human urine and feces, and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting position popul ...

are usually shared with the neighbouring rooms, and located on the landing. ''Chambres de bonne'' have nevertheless been the object of

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...

to preserve their occupants' quality of life and health. In the twentieth century, the French government stipulated that all rental properties must have a minimum floor area of , a volume of , and openings (windows, doors, etc.) equivalent to an eighth of the surface area. In recent years,

landlord A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position, the ...

s have attempted to rebrand their ''chambres de bonne'' by advertising them as ''studettes'', a hitherto-unknown category of housing for smaller studios (broadly, those of or less). Since most listings agencies do not recognise a firm distinction between "studios" and "studettes", ''chambres de bonne'' may also simply be advertised as studios. Parisian apartment-hunters are, nevertheless, often able to infer that a studio is a ''chambre de bonne'' from its listing, due to the distinctive features described above.

References

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References

See also