Imperfections

Much to my surprise the red stool turned out to become the favourite item from my last apartment-tour. I fear you've gotten the impression that the place where own is a 100% streamline-designed place, living the perfection. Well, it is not. The stool is in very good company with the ladder:
Some of you living in the US might recognize the design, the ladder is really heavy, it is probably made of iron and dates back from the time before aluminium-ladders hit the market. This ladder has heavy srews and nuts and wooden steps.

When I moved out, my mother happily handed the ladder over and got herself a new, light aluminium ladder with additional steps. This ladder is actually quite small. Our cleaning lady who is small, too, does not reach the tops of our wardrobe. Which is not a bad idea at all, since it leaves me with a safe place where I could store some goods I would not want the cleaning lady to get in her hands. She already told me she needs a higher ladder, which I tend to "forget".
Yes, paranoia at large. Or maybe I don't want to replace this one with a new one.

The ladder moved in with me when I moved out from my parent's place. Ever since I was at kindergarden-age I had enjoyed climbing up those wooden steps so much. One of the first projects in the appartment after moving in was the re-painting of the walls. A lot of paint dripped on the steps and on the handle over the past 16 years. I would never clean the ladder from all the stains, because the stains tell the story that's past:

A close up of past colours:
Bright Yellow was the entrance hall, because the entrance hall gets little daylight.
Dark Red was chosen for one wall in the bed room, the love-wall of a single-woman
(I placed a candle in front of the wall and created a very special atmosphere).
And all shades of white and cream have followed ever since.

The photo was taken in my kitchen, where I "store" the ladder against the wall. You see what I like about my kitchen: it gets bright daylight!