# German apartment floor plan: What does "AF" mean?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-apartment-floor-plan-what-does-af-mean/817892>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 14, 2018, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-apartment-floor-plan-what-does-af-mean/817892 "2018-07-14T13:09:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-apartment-floor-plan-what-does-af-mean/817892/1 "2018-07-14T13:09:30Z")

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Was looking at this [floorplan](https://box-one.berlin/downloads/WE049.pdf) for a new apartment in Berlin, and saw in the front hallway the designation, “AF.” (I’m assuming it has nothing to do with what AF means to the youth on the internets nowadays.)

It appears to be some sort of open alcove beside the actual hall closet. Does anyone know what the abbreviation actually stands for?

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-apartment-floor-plan-what-does-af-mean/817892/2 "2018-07-14T13:40:56Z")

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Perhaps “Abstell-” something? (storage)

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**Author:** ![DETXL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/detxl/32/19366_2.png) [@DETXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DETXL)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-apartment-floor-plan-what-does-af-mean/817892/3 "2018-07-14T13:50:19Z")

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Abstellfläche, I believe; “storage area”—such areas being in somewhat short supply in many buildings here (my flat doesn’t have any storage in it, just a cage I could put a lock on in the cellar). I believe it’s legally mandated that newer apartments do have such space, though—see [here, for example](http://www.bau-rat.de/index.php/abstellraum.html) (ETA: on second glance this is for NRW, and I don’t actually know what the law is here. But in any case, the apartment has some)

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**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-apartment-floor-plan-what-does-af-mean/817892/4 "2018-07-14T13:57:25Z")

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I think that’s it—Abstellflur. Nice work, folks!

ETA: Or Abstellfläche—seeing it both ways in a number of places, now that I know to look. Thanks!