The Chartreuse Life

I have always had a love of architecture, and doors in particular.  They are the life-line to the space within, and as such have far more impact than we often give them credit for.  As I strolled through the extraordinarily beautiful streets of Paris, it was the seemingly infinite variety of portals – size, shape, color, embellishment – one right after the other.  Take a look:

This beauty is along the boulevard St. Germaine on the Rive Gauche.  Extraordinary as it looks to us, this is a typical door along the beautiful Paris boulevards.

Okay, so the red is a bit over-the-top.  But the almost Asian look of this one made it a stand out along the square in front of St. Sulpice.

Along the Rue du Cherche-Midi, a quiet street of elegant shops.

Just down the Rue Napoleon Bonaparte from Laudauré.  I just LOVED to be able to peak into the courtyards when the portals stood open.

Classic Parisian door. Note the Nuit et Jour sign. I LOVE those!! Some of them even lit up. I can think of sooo many times I could have used one!

Looking into the courtyard of the Art Academy (yes, the one that wouldn’t accept Claude Monet and his friends).

A peak through the doors into the Grand Salon of the Art Academy.  In a time before electricity, this glass ceiling was a critical innovation for clearly seeing art.

That’s just a taste of the delightful doors, and some of what’s behind them!  Hope you enjoy this little peak at Paris.

Thanks for reading,

Virginia