Hola friends! Not too long ago, I outed myself as total and complete door fangirl. Oiste bien, yea you heard that right! I’m obsessed with DOORS… old, new, colorful, plain, rusty, ornate…etc. I’ve shared with you guys before, in my previous Doors of Distinction post, but estoy enamorada with what doors represent. I adore that they each symbolize an opening, a new beginning, a portal to new places and new ideas. Tambien me encanta, that doorways set my imagination ablaze. Cool puertas leave me wondering who lives inside, what types of things have happened beyond the gateway, what secrets/stories lie just behind the closed entry. Told you, I’m a huge door nerd! Ha! Even still, I’d love it if you joined me on a virtual tour of my favorite doors from about the world! Doors of Distinction, round 2!
Vamonos!
“Travel, like dreams, is a door that opens from the real world into a world that has yet to be discovered.”
Guy De Muapassant
1. Aviles Street, St. Augustine, FL.
St. Augustine is rife with beautiful doorways. My camera roll is proof. I have zillions of fotos of Spanish Colonial puertas from the Old Town section of the city. They are so striking, each with a personality of their own. They should legit have nombres that coincide with their vibe, or their owners. What should we name this guy, above? Maybe, Horacio. Yep! Horacio owns a sugar cane farm, hence the scythe. He works hard, is no-nonsense, leans into his machismo, and subscribes to minimalist aesthetics. He’s a little bougie too, though. You can see this clearly, in the color choice of his door, and the symmetrical position of his plantas. Horacio knows that he looks good, and he’s not afraid to show it. He might be taken as a bore, and might even be looked past in light of other, more colorful doorways in the area, but that would be a mistake. Horacio is kooky, and he gives passerby’s clues of his quirks. Lo unico que tienes que hacer, is take a little peep at the strategically placed balls of moss in the middle of his frame. Oh, Horacio! Ha, ha!
2. Saint Munda’s Church, Glencoe, Scotland.
The town of Glencoe in the highlands of Scotland es una cosa de belleza, it’s a thing of beauty. Natural beauty. It’s situated on Loch Leven, surrounded by ancient woods and towering mountains. The buildings of the town, though, are far from interesting. They are plain and unassuming. One could walk by and not even notice any of them, due to the distraction of la naturaleza all around. That is, until that person walks by St. Munda’s Church. That church houses some of the loveliest doors I’ve ever seen! The first thing you notice is the turquoise-looking stone surrounding the doorway. Mamma mia, que color! It’s unreal. I’ve never seen stone that shade before! Then you notice the layers of pointed arches, the stone columns with their chiseled artistry, the cherry-colored wood that makes up the door itself, and lastly the ornate brackets set upon the door. It’s a thing of beauty, just like the town it sits in.
3. La Capilla Del Cristo, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is called “La Isla Del Encanto” because it’s exactly that… enchanting. Viejo San Juan is a perfect example of that. As you walk down the blue cobblestone streets in the old part of town, you stumble upon visually impressive surprises. One street, Cristo Street, holds a particularly beautiful sopresita, La Capilla Del Cristo. Built in 1753, the Capilla is an unassuming little chapel tucked into the south western corner of the city. It’s not grand, or huge, but it’s beautiful. Tan bella, in fact, that it has become a cultural icon to los PuertoriqueΓ±os. What I love about it, is the Spanish Baroque style of the stone work and then the rod iron gate that seals off the entrance. Just sets my mind to wander. Who sat there to pray? Un conquistador? Early Spanish settlers with their families? What did they pray for? Why is such an ornate doorway/chapel tucked away at the end of a calle? Ah, tantas preguntas! They may never be answered, but I might have to go back and sit in front of the lovely Capilla and ask again, just to be sure…. π
“When you follow your bliss… doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else.”
-Joseph Campbell
4. Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL.
Not all beautiful doors are old doors. Escuchaste? Modern doors are pretty damn rad too! Just look at this doorway at The Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida! It’s steel and windows, that’s all it is, but WOW. It makes a statement, amiright? The cool thing is, that these doors aren’t even on the outside of the building. No sir! Son las puertas de un atrium in the middle of the restaurant. Like the entrance to a elegant greenhouse in the middle of downtown Tampa. Dope, super dope! What gets me, is that the doors make you feel as though YOU are little part of what’s happening on the inside. Like, you are separated from the experience of the customers inside but also not. The doors allow you to see what’s unfolding, so you are transfixed enough to desire to be inside too. Genius, really! Architecturally, too, the doors son una maravilla! They blend in the with vibe of the entire atrium seamlessly. I said this before, but there’s something about modern architecture, amigos. It’s pretty darn cool. These doors prove that!
5. Maharajah Jungle Trek, Animal Kingdom, Disney World.
Pon atencion, mi gente! Disney doesn’t play! When they decide on a concept for an attraction at their parks, they go all out! The Maharajah Jungle Trek in Animal Kingdom is a great example. It’s culturally relevant, architecturally accurate, and the design is just plain pretty. The whole walking tour is like that. You get the feeling that you left Central Florida and are now walking through the grounds of a lovely residence in India. Cerca del fin, close to the end of the trail, you come across the Tiger exhibit, which is full of cool design features. This door, above, es uno. It gave me all the feels. It looks like something out of Agrabah doesn’t it? The onion arch on top gave me all the Aladdin vibes (and yes, I know Aladdin isn’t set in India… the door just reminded me of the aesthetics from the movie). The opening at the top of the door has GOT to be my favorite part. Like it was cut out of the wood just so the visitor could hear the sounds of laughter on the other side. Or so they could smell the inviting aromas of naan being baked within the walls. The doors are just a prop, but MAN, they make you feel things. Bien hecho, Disney.
6. Faerie House, Glencoe Woods, Scotland.
If you’ve watched the movie “Brave”, you know that the highlands of Scotland have an almost magical quality to them. And yes, I know that’s my second Disney reference. And yes, I know it’s an animated movie. Haha. Pero, listen. It’s true. Something about the fog, and the heather, and the mors; It’s eerie and mystical. Cuando estaba in Glencoe, I took a hike through the woods and came across a few things: an abandoned ancient settlement, beautiful vistas of Loch Leven, and even a faerie village. MAGIC! Peep the pic above, that’s the first faerie house I came across. I legit gasped, then awed, and then started to really wonder if it was all real. Jajaja. To no ries, my imagination just started running. I couldn’t help it! I could actually envision a tiny little Scottish faerie picking this tree for her cozy home. I mean it’s quite perfect, with it’s moss and it’s deep crevices. And THAT DOOR! It’s a burst of awesome against all that green! This faerie must be into colors! And LGBTQ+ rights! I mean, the most fabulous house on the faerie block, no? π Seriously though, I adore the details around the doors that bring it to life. The little pathway, the fence, the stone patio. It’s all truly charming. I still smile real big whenever I remember this particular door.
“When one door closes another one opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones open for us.”
-Alexander Graham Bell
7. Westminster, London, England.
I mentioned this before, but my biggest attraction to doors outside of their design is the “story” behind them! I mean look at esta puerta above! This London door must belong to someone interesting. Maybe a viscount, who loves to keep a flat in Westminster in addition to his manor in the English countryside. Or maybe an heiress lives beyond the black and white checkered tile, and she was given this apartment so that she could pursue a fashion career in the city. Her “first home” away from the family. OR, maybe this was a fixer upper! It could possibly be the home of 2 eccentric musicians that spent all of their money to fix up this flat in a monochromatic aesthetic because it reminds them of Beethoven’s 5th. No lo se! But isn’t it fun to wonder? Quien sea who designed this door; that person is obviously all about elegance and sophistication. They want their presence to be known in the neighborhood and their classy taste to be noticed. MisiΓ³n cumplida! I certainly noticed! And I loved what I saw. Black and white are always a good idea.
“Follow your bliss… and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”
-Connie Hanks
I could go on and on about puertitas, but alas, it’s time to go! I hope you enjoyed stretching your imagination with me and that you appreciated all the beautiful doorways I shared. Gracias por viajar conmigo! MY goal is that you start to look at doors a little more closely and maybe even become a fan like me! On that note, though, please tell me… which door did you like best? Cual fue tu historia favorito? Shoot me a comment, let me know! Until next time, I’m sending you big virtual hugs!
Con mucho cariΓ±o,
Joana
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