In homes in the states we spare no expense to hide the evidence of the human condition. We build special cabinets or even entire rooms to store, away from prying eyes, tools for maintaining our homes or for making our homes more comfortable during certain times.

In Europe they don’t have this luxury of unlimited space. Or perhaps the day-to-day existence in small apartments and high density makes one all too aware of the everyday activities we all share.

In Italy we stored these things on our kitchen balconies. Not in a room or closet, just leaning against the wall for all the neighbors to see.

In my fab crib in Krakow the mop and bucket used to clean between each guest does not have a special cubby to hide away between uses, but leans against the wall in the bathroom. The electric fan used to make summers bearable sits in a corner in the living room, even while it snows nonstop outside.

While it’s definitely more attractive to hide the mop bucket when it’s not being used, is this another instance of American Puritanism denying the existence of human activities that are too “dirty” to be acknowledged?