simple pleasures

Simple designs and embellishments, subtle colors.  Does it get any better than this?

knock knock

I must have walked past this simple yet elegant knocker a zillion times before I noticed it.

the blue door

I like the simplicity and coolness (in the color sense) of this door near our house in Amboise.

arch-itecturally speaking

This is one of my favorite doors in Amboise and on this day I was lucky to catch it without a car parked in front.

a royal door

This enormous door is to entry of the tour Minimes (its exterior seen here).  It's one of the two spiral ramp towers that allowed horse drawn carriages to ascend from street-level to château-level.  The door is, I'm guessing, more than 4 meters / 13 feet in height.

the blue door

What I like about this door is all of the textures.  There's the blue-painted wood of course, but there are also the old wood beam lintel, the window glass and curtains, a ceramic street number, plus stone blocks and the stone pavers.

le marchand bestiaux - the cattle merchant

The building doesn't look to me as though it is still a commercial enterprise, but I'm guessing the current owner appreciates this old merchant sign as much as I do and kept it.

can a door wink?

Asymmetry at work on a door in Amboise.

the doors

The ones without Jim Morrison.

the front doors at Chenonceau

You might think that this is a door with it's door frame, but in fact this is just the bottom part of the left front door to the château Chenonceau.  The door was open and so it had a nice side light on it, but alas I couldn't get far enough back from it to get the entire door.  From the outside, I could get the right door in its entirety:

The detail in the hand carving of the wood is amazing.

la maison art nouveau

This house is in the center of Amboise and is embellished with touches of art nouveau.  The city apparently thinks it is worthy enough to see that it includes the house on signs directing you to tourist sites.  This doorway with the fanciful sculpturing has earned this house the name "the bug house" by us Anglophone locals.

Wood and stone

I really enjoy seeing the combination of wood and stone in the local architecture.  (By the way, does anyone else see a clown face in this door?)

the red door

Amboise has a wide variety of architectural styles and touches.  This old hotel is right off the main plaza of the town, and while not luxurious, it's entrance has a certain subdued interest and charm.