Doors

Photographer : DCP

    There’s a poster of Princeton doorways that used to hang in the Princeton library.  It intrigued me as there were so many different forms of architecture, yet they all seemed to fit the tiny township.  I saw it again recently.  It inspired me to look at the doors in my own neighborhood.
    I try to exercise everyday.  I walk around my neighborhood.  The scenery doesn’t change, but my feet know the course.  I’m up to four miles a day.  My goal is five.  As I walked I took pictures of doorways that interested me.  I found myself making up stories for the people who live behind these doors.

Photo Credit:  MorgueFile

    Red doors are plentiful.  So many houses have red doors.  It doesn’t matter what the style of the house is, the door is painted fire engine red

    I’m not sure if this family is trying to make a statement more or following a trend.  The door is beautiful and they have coordinated it with the brick and the support railing.

    This house has a great blue door, but the two white chairs make the small porch.  I once saw these rocking chairs in an airport.  I think it was Charlotte, NC (but don’t quote me on that).  There were rows of them along both sides of a food court.  Everyone was occupied, but they impressed me so that I included them in book I wrote.  The book was set in Maine near the ocean and within reach of a lighthouse.

    

    If I need to choose favorites, this would be on my top 10 list.  It’s right on a corner and has great landscaping.  The family has it changed several times during the spring, summer and fall.  The door is huge and substantial, reminding me of the White House or some other stately building.  The subtle gray tones down the heavy footprint it would leave if it were a brighter color.

     The door isn’t quite red.  The brown is rich and welcoming.  But even more welcoming is the sleigh and ice skates that adorn the front porch.  They don’t keep the scene all the time, but for the winter it’s perfect.

     When I pass this house I’m reminded of the cliche “less is more.”  The place is wonderfully understated.  It’s a big white house with a black door and shutters.  Again this is a corner house, so I get to see three sides of it.  For the holidays, they had the two ribbons on the planters and the small Christmas trees, nothing more.  And it spoke volumes.

    When I chose the door for my house, I was concerned about the style of the house and the color of the siding and shutters, but I also had a style in mind.  I always wanted a door with an oval of beveled glass.  I love the one I chose.

    The doors in my neighborhood may not be as varied as those in Princeton, but behind them are families that love an appreciate them.  I hope your door in the portal through which love and happiness and lots of good food is always in abundance.