Communal Living in Russia: Photos
Apartment IV. Common Areas: Shoes, boots, and slippers in the hallway
  Summary
  Some tenants leave their coats and shoes in the hallway, by the door to their room. 1997.
  Basic Facts and Background
  When: 1997

Where: The hallway of a large apartment in the prestigious center of St. Petersburg, home to over fifteen people. Parts of interior of the apartment are under the formal protection of the government.

What: In the hallway next to their doors, some tenants have set up a kind of entryway where they hang their coats and take off their shoes. The photograph shows the space between the doors of two neighbors. Both families use the space to store all their shoes and all their coats (from all seasons).

In the collection of shoes, slippers occupy a special place. People do not enter rooms in their outdoor shoes; instead, they put on slippers in the hallway. In addition to the slippers belonging to people who live in the room, there are special slippers for guests, since it's a rare guest who comes equipped with his or her own. At least some of this furniture (the shelves and little cabinets) is handmade.

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