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A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham

Blue Doors in France

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Summer is the time 
to complete exterior projects on our houses.
Warm weather and long hours of sunlight to finish the job
provide the atmosphere to tackle those projects.

Are you looking at doors for inspiration to find just 
the right color to paint your front door this summer?

Where did I find inspiration for my front door?
 France, of course!

 Over the years I've snapped photo
after photo of doors in France that made me pause...
made me linger awhile to take in their beauty and details...
There has never been a shortage of beautiful doors,
only a shortage of time in which to linger.
Sigh...

 The French have had a love affair with 
portes bleues
 for centuries.
Portes Bleues
 come in all shades of blue
 and in all styles.
#21 is in Paris and 
has beautiful round windows 
with leaf scrolls around them.

#61 doors are in Paris, also.
These look plain after seeing #21 above. 
Comparing one to the other 
makes us lose sight of the beauty of these. 
Much like comparing ourselves with others... 
We lose sight of our own good qualities. 

A close-up view 
without the distracting doors on either side,
plus better lighting that highlights the
rich glossy paint, 
accentuates their beauty.

Who lives(d) at this Paris address?
Diana, Darcy, Danette, Danielle? 
Devereaux, Dubois, Delacroix? 
The monogram above the door hints at a double D. 

Another Paris address with 
blue scrolled grill inset doors and
beautiful stonework surrounding the doors...
Is the white stonework above the door from 
La Belle Époque?

The elaborate stone carving above the medieval doors 
in Sarlat, France is enhanced by the deep blue of the doors.
 More views of these doors are at Real French Doors In Sarlat.

Less ornate than doors in Paris, 
this door in Sarlat, France is still a beautiful door 
with a curved raised panel and cut stone header.
 This is French Country style 
in its truest sense of the phrase. 
The paint could be an Annie Sloan Chalkpaint!

A different style raised curve panel door 
and semicircular window are surrounded by 
massive cut stones. 
Blue wooden shutters, blue window pane dividers, and 
double wire gates all recede to the background 
as we gaze at the doors. 
Then we take in all their beauty, too. 

 Found in a small town in the Dordogne region, 
the door style is a blend of the elaborate Parisian doors and 
the French Country ones. 
The rivets harken back to medieval and Gothic doors, 
and the ogee-edged panels remind us of French royalty carved doors. 

Even a rustic arched Gothic door topped with an ancient stone header 
down a narrow pea-gravel walkway is inviting in its vibrant blue.
Located just a few doors down from the previous door, 
it's in the same small Dordogne town.

The Domme, France La Poste (post office) welcomes 
customers with its cheery blue.

From Paris, France 
comes inspiration.

Welcome to my blue front door.
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Please join me at these inspiring sites...
MONDAY

TUESDAY
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