*Beautiful Entryway photos of Italy, Morocco and Provence cribbed from Bing Images*
I have a preoccupation with old doors... I just adore them, including the old hardware on them. I have rarely passed up the opportunity to procure an old Salvage door, much to the chagrin of The Man. *smiles* This ole' house came with many beautiful old doors and original hardware, including outbuildings full of Salvaged ones... perhaps the previous Owner also had the same preoccupation with them? *wink* I was delighted of coarse to inherit someone else's old door collection, not that it stopped me from dragging home even more however. *LOL* The intricate details of some of the old doors, escutcheons and doorknobs are truly works of Art. I've finally been able to find the key to my storage Cottage to share with you some of the favorite old Doors I've collected and as yet have not repurposed into Architectural details of this ole' House... but I will... including the beautiful carved Oak "Birthday Door" with Glass Amethyst Knobs that I pleaded with The Man to get as my present last year... *smiles* Yep, I'm that crazy Lady that asked for an old Door for her Birthday gift... which only shows how deep my preoccupation goes! *wink*
Doors are the entryways into each Building... each Home... each Business... they are the very first impression and encounter we have with a structure and entryways can make a distinctive impression on what lies within. Is it welcoming, inviting, quaint, interesting, lovely, fascinating, intriguing or just functional? Haven't you seen doors and entryways that made you just wonder and imagine what was on the other side? When in Europe I loved the older parts of town where the doors and entryways were like works of Art and so very beautiful and such care taken to make them look special. I just knew that what lay behind those doors on the inside must be equally as special since the entrance to it was so captivating. Even old abandoned houses can have entryways and doors that make me want to explore the interiors and see for myself what is on the other side.
To wonder about all the people who have passed through an old door over the years and know that you're now tracing their footsteps as you enter or exit is a profound thought. And I have found that buildings and Homes with fascinating entryways and doors typically also have captivating windows as well... dressed up in a way that invites a brief glimpse of what the interior holds. A couple of my favorite prints are of fascinating and beautiful old windows, I imagine them to be in Provence, though I don't know for certain. Framed by beautiful old time and weather worn shutters, gracefully aged walls and Ivy or windowsills of potted plants with a pop of bold color and Lace curtains. I could photograph enough doorways, entryways and windows of old Homes that intrigue me to fill several albums and I love to walk through Historic neighborhoods just to see the endless variety of them.
What does your entryway say about your Home and about you? What was the most memorable doorway you passed through and why did it make such a profound impression upon you? As the eyes are the windows to the Soul, so the entryways to our Homes and how we feather our nests reveal more about us than we may know... may our doorways welcome people into our Homes and lives and not just be a means to shut the world out... Dawn... The Bohemian