Americans Living in London

Even though the cultures are supposedly similar between the UK and the US, Americans who are moving to London may find that there are some startling differences once they've made the journey across the pond moving to London.

London is a beautiful, historic capital. However, it is this history that obliges most of us to live in extremely old and quaint buildings that were not designed with the 21st century in mind. It's really common for people living in London to reside in flats (apartments) in converted mansions built in the Victorian era (1837-1901). These mansions with perhaps 3 or 4 floors including an attic level, have now been converted into 7 or 8 small flats. Whilst Londoners are very content and proud of living in such historic buildings of architectural beauty, this does throw up a number of issues that Americans will need to adjust to.

Firstly, there are only staircases in such buildings; lifts/elevators are to be found in more elaborate and modern developments. So you'll need to get used to carrying your week's shopping up to your new residence.

Inside the property, you'll notice some key differences as well. Closets are unusual in London. Instead, we use a freestanding or fitted (stuck on the wall) wardrobe. Freestanding wardrobes, although small, are great for being able to move around your room, so you're able to design the space in your room as you wish. Storage space in flats or houses in London is usually quite rare, which makes the spring-cleaning of your old possessions a necessity.

On the same 'lack-of-space' theme, bathrooms are usually small as well settling down in London. It's common to have a bath with a shower head attached to the bath taps and stuck onto the wall, so you should shower inside of the bath, rather than having a separate shower and bath in the same bathroom.

Similarly, the appliances in your flat will probably be a lot smaller than what you're used to in America. As we're unable to fit giant fridges and freezers into our houses, we tend to opt for mini-fridges including a 1-shelf freezer compartment that will fit underneath the kitchen units. All-in-one washer/dryers are real space savers, so are a popular choice, whilst dishwashers are not typical.

In summary, when you're househunting, you need to expect everything in London to be a lot smaller than your spacious living arrangements in the US.