The Front Door

A door in Assilah, Morocco

 Mr D and I went to Europe for 28 days for our honeymoon and to see his aging Dad and my Nana who turned 90 while we were there.  For me it was a dream come true and I loved every minute of our adventure. We saw many beautiful things and something we loved and took many pictures of were front doors.

Another Moroccan door

I have been thinking about the significance of the front door.  Symbolically, it is a threshold that marks the boundary between the household and the outer world.  The front door has been used to keep unwanted things out and keep what is wanted and needed in.  Doors regulate traffic from one space to another, they change the character of a space, they create havens, they allow us privacy. Doors enable us to experience spaces as separate and distinct, moving us from one room to another or from outside to inside.

Assilah, Morocco

Assilah, Morocco

 It is the first thing that people notice about a home.  When it comes right down to it, a house is only as good as its front door. Like your landscape, a beautiful door, be it wood or glass, expresses the personality of the homeowner.  It can draw you into the home with a warm welcoming hug.  Or it can make you stay away! As the eyes are the windows into the soul, so is the front door of our home, the window into our life. As we pass through homes with brightly painted doors, the meaning often eludes us consciously. Subconsciously, however, the reactions we have to coloured doors often stay with us long after we leave.

The front door colour is one of the things noticed by people walking by the house on the pavement and the combination of different front door colours produces a final effect that in many ways is the first thing to get judged about a house. While a good colour for your front door will not ensure that it looks good, (as it depends on the adjacent colours and textures present) choosing a bad colour for your front door will ensure that your house is visually sunk  before it even gets off the ground. The colour of a front door can help draw people in and show them where the entrance actually is. 

St-Remy-de-Provence

St-Remy-de-Provence

 Your front door style needs to work with, not against, your window style. Whereas you can mix things up inside your home, your exterior needs to send one message, and have a unified front. It is the cover of your book, if you will. The inside of your book tells the story of who you are. Your exterior is the cover of your book, and has the responsibility of making a consistent statement and a lasting impression.

Front doors in Provence

While perusing the many doors we admired in Morocco and Europe, my mind moved to thinking about what was behind the door.  What was the interior like?  Who lived here?  What are their lives like? What would it be like to live here?

Little girl who greeted us with "Hola!" in Assilah

Sneak peek inside door, Assilah, Morocco.

This is one door that I would have loved to see inside, and a spot I wouldn't mind living in either. Nyon, just outside of Geneva, by the lake... gorgeous!

Nyon, Switzerland.

I wonder, what does your front door say about you and your home's occupants?  Hmm... I think mine needs a little work, as I'm not sure it accurately depicts the 7 personalities that live here and what we are trying to achieve within our home.... Fun, laughter, peace and serenity! A haven for all who live here and visit.

Photos by Mr and Mrs D