Maisonette (from the French maisonnette, meaning little house) may be used to distinguish dwellings which have their own entrance independent from the rest of a multi-storey block. This is different from flats, which are usually reached through shared entrance doors, stairs or corridors. This definition of maisonette includes smaller maisonettes occupying a single floor of a block, including designs also known as cottage flats and Tyneside flats.