Doors of Florence

convenient hatch

While in Florence I started collecting photos of old doors.  I tend to do that when I travel.  So many of the great doors in the historic center of the city are covered in studs. Florentine palazzi were built like fortresses, with their imposing entrance gates opening into central courtyards.

No.129 covered in studs

I noticed even the smaller doors were covered in studs.  Nothing says "come on in" like a door riddled with  nails.

Entrance to the Palazzo Antellesi, with a spectacular auricular crest. Also it was paper recycling night when I took this shot. It's not normally so littered on the Piazza Sta. Croce.

OK to be fair, not all of them are covered in studs. Many of them are only partially covered in studs.

stones and wood and studs at No. 11

a rare example of a painted door at No. 13

partially studded door at No. 14

Centuries of political upheaval and the astonishing wealth of the Florentine families created an architecture that from the outside looks foreboding, closed, cold, while inside they were splendid and open. Much like the Florentine people themselves-  reserved or even off-putting at first, after a few meetings they become warm and amiable.  

As a giant fortress-like palazzo became unnecessary, and over time, infeasible; most of these urban castles were divided up to make apartments, offices, etc., while sharing the original entrance; a phalanx of doorbells illustrating the division of space.

No.4 still has its buchette del vino

Many of the old palaces have a small buchette del vino near the entrance. This was a mini-portal through which noble families could sell wine and olive oil from their country estates without letting the riff-raff into the palazzo.  (There is a great collection of photos of these traditional Florentine niches on facebook.)

No.28 with an unfortunate mail slot

The doors in the historic center are, with rare exception, varnished wood. Painted doors are quite rare.  Unlike Paris, where the wood is usually a cleverly painted faux bois, these doors are simply varnished. I even watched several of them being refinished and was amazed and the thickness (and age) of the wood, and of course wondered what kind of varnish they were using. 

No. 11 with its lovely carved doors

Single entrances stand out for their relatively modest scale.

A single family home with a painted facade and simple doors

And then there are all the clever additional doors, created to make entrances in odd places, as space became more and more valuable.

Even the wee entrance to No.33 is of course fortified with studs

Many of these doors require stooping to pass through. This is especially true of those doors inside large old courtyards, but I found plenty built under windows or stairways all over the old city.

No 1 under the stairs, and it's accessible!

entrance doors hidden under a window, disguised to look like the stone walls

an interior courtyard door, only 5 feet tall and beautifully varnished.

More photos of Florentine doors on my Flickr page

All photos in this post by Lynne Rutter, 

Florence February-April, 2014

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 Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting

The Doors of Saint-Germain-des-Prés

 a beautiful entry with faux bois doors

Last month I spent two fabulous weeks in Paris, staying in a very cool apartment in the chic Saint-Germain district.   One day I wandered around just looking at the wonderful doors.  You do that, too, right?
    

Bleu

Paris is a city of limestone, and the entry doors to these limestone facades are the only opportunity for color, so they often get special attention. Even a plain door is given a glossy, gorgeous treatment. Nearly half the doors are oak, although usually if you see an oak door, it's actually a faux finish imitating oak. Some of the painted oak is so realistic I had to look for  signs of wear or peeling paint to be able to tell the difference.

This charcoal grey is really popular right now.

Blues, greens, and greys predominate in this neighborhood. Red appears to have fallen out of favor, perhaps because it fades so quickly.  It seems every color you can think of looks great with limestone. Although there was one safety orange painted door of an art gallery that I really didn't like. I did not take a picture of it.  

bright blue on the Quai Voltaire

limestone, black, and gold - a classic Beaux-Arts tradition

a beautiful verdigris look

With rare exception the doors are never polychromed.  All woodwork in an entry or the paneling surrounding it is treated the same.   I am not sure if this is by convention or law.

The gorgeous celadon paneling of the Ladurée shop. Madame was posing for my camera in front of the shop and at the last moment she turned to her good side and struck this casual pose. Brava.

an unusual burl treatment

detail of faux burl door, a bit worn

More of this collection are posted in my flickr set "Doors of Paris".

 




all images in this post by Lynne Rutter, October 2011. 
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Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting

The Doors of Prague

entry door St. Francis Seraphicus Church, Prague  .

I made a too-short visit to Prague this month, getting only lightly reacquainted with one of my favorite cities. Since my last visit 10 years ago (wow, has it been that long!?), much has been restored or rehabilitated. I noticed in particular  gleaming and intricate ornamental ironwork, particularly on the doors.  
I posted a larger collection of these door pictures at flickr.  Here are some highlights:

beautiful amber painted door of the newly restored palace of the Rožmberkové (house of Rosenberg) Prague

strapwork ornament carved into an old door, Staré Město

Detail of one of three black iron doors with polished iron ornaments, Italian Embassy, Prague

These exterior door are all at street level, and are special with good reason. An overall pattern adds to the architecture of each building, and the door becomes more detailed and personal the closer you get. What better way to invite you closer?

I don't know anything about the specific tradition of ironwork in this region, but it does seem to have a distinctive style reminiscent of celtic designs. Which makes sense since during the  *cough* Iron Age, the Celts originated from this area.

a delicate and ornate knocker on an ebonized, studded door

a beautiful medieval looking figural knocker

splendid entry door and handle of the Svatý Mikuláš  (St. Nicholas) church, Tyn Square

Now, some interior doors

a lovely old door in the Vladislav Hall, Prague Castle

a very simple inlaid door with fantastic hinges

a beautiful marquetry door in Prague Castle

a small utilitarian door in a hallway- at once substantial and elegant.

ornate hinge: St Thomas Church, Prague

I am resisting the urge to pound a thousand upholstery tacks into my front door. However, a faux marquetry door might not be out of the question.

More pictures!

• My flickr set:  Doors of Prague 
• Prague Doors by photographer Ksenia Grishkova
• PBase gallery by Helen Betts.
• Prague Doors flickr set by verymystery

If you like door knockers, check out this collection by Grant K Gibson.

Lynne Rutter Murals + Decorative Painting

Vieux Carré Color

Splendid Doorway in the Vieux Carré

Homes and other buildings in the old French Quarter of New Orleans, are a great mix of architectural styles and famously ornate ironwork balconies and galleries. But what really struck me most was the paint colors, particularly on the Creole cottages.  Bright, saturated, pastel, or faded:  they are displayed in fearless and exciting combinations, and when you line them all up they look great together.

This is no accident, as each house in the Vieux Carré must have its paint scheme approved by the Vieux Carré Commission,  a local government body that supervises all renovation and restoration in the area and provides resources and advice to building owners on the best way to preserve  and restore their treasures.  Their site contains an excellent explanation of the popular color schemes of  four distinct periods of building in the Quarter  from 1820-1920 (and many buildings are actually older than that) as well as other regulations and guidelines.  For example:

"  ... False "graining" was often applied to doors, but, in these cases, the wood imitated was usually figured oak, rosewood or maple. The practice of applying a clear finish to bare wood with the expectation that this will adequately imitate "graining" is prohibited. Graining should be done by skilled craftsmen." 
I, and hundreds of faux bois painters,  could not agree more.

Royal St: a bright coral house with "Paris Green" shutters

Bright yellow creole cottage with cornflower blue shutters

The Society of Gilders held its conference here late in October.  We started our week in the c. 1789 building known as Mme John's Legacy;  the street level doors open to the underside of the covered porch;  a note taped to one of them read merely "Gilders Upstairs" and to my great delight, there they were,  as promised. Gilders.  But I digress... 

Mme John's Legacy sporting its original 1789 color scheme

I had a marvelous week roaming around the city,  soaking up inspiration. What a great color collection this would make.  Of course it's been done.... some years ago, Sherwin-Williams made a collection of paint colors called "Vieux Carré Colors: Reflections of the New Orleans Historic French Quarter."   The palette was based on research done by the paint manufacturer along with the Vieux Carre Commission in the late 1960s.  It was re-issued briefly in 2003 but is, alas, no longer available.   However, my Sherwin Williams dealer tells me you may still get these colors made if you know their names, like Toulouse Street Green or Pontalba Rose.
 

Toulouse Street:  yep, that's green

Chartres Street:  I love this sunwashed gold and sea green palette:  
the upper floor of this house is painted a shade lighter, and all of the french doors are faux bois.

A larger collection of these pictures from "New Orleans in Color" I have  posted at Flickr.

all photos in this post by Lynne Rutter, October 2010

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