In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Door.”
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live. —Flora Whittemore
Doors have always caught my attention, where ever I go (especially, cute blue doors in to secret gardens). I think of them as a ‘window to the soul of a house.’ I haven’t always had a camera to capture photographs of such doors…but the memories of them live on in my mind.
In between jobs, a few years ago, I ended up working for a friend of mine who owns his own house painting business and much to my surprise, I really enjoyed the work…most of the time. But one of my favorite things to do was paint people’s front doors…and because I was the only woman on the crew, and who happened to be afraid of heights, I tended to get the jobs that didn’t require much ladder climbing. In truth, I was pretty content painting any door, but front doors were especially gratifying. Maybe because most of the time, when you are painting a front door, you are working with more of a variety of colors than when you are painting interior doors. There were also times that a customer was replacing an old door with a brand new wooden door and they wanted it stained. Watching the stain bring out and intensify the appearance of the grain in the wood, is a beautiful thing to witness. I may (or may not) have been known to pet and stroke an exceptionally beautiful door on occasion, just to experience the richness and sturdiness and splendor of such a magnificent door…but that is neither here nor there 😉
Red and black doors seem to be very common, but every once in a while, I had the opportunity to paint with a few more fun colors, like yellow, blue, and green. Color choices, for a front door, are quite often an expression of the type of person that lives behind that door. Traditional colors for those that want to play it safe. An attractive stained wooden door portrays more sophistication and elegance. Bright cheerful colors convey the appearance of happiness and playfulness.
As a pet sitter, in an affluent area of Connecticut, I am constantly encountering all types of beautiful doors. Some doors are very grand and elegant. Some are simple and unpretentious. Some are bright and cheerful. However in most cases, a freshly painted front door, that is done well, creates a profound statement to the house it is associated with.
What does your front door say about you?