A few weeks ago, Assistant Decorating Editor Yvette, went on a well-deserved vacation to Central Europe. She spent two weeks traveling to the beautiful cities of Budapest, Prague, and Vienna. Upon her return, Yvette was kind enough to share with me some of her vacation photos. The pictures were great, and Yvette's artistic eye captured many features of the Central European cityscape. One album in particular grabbed my attention, an album devoted specifically to doors.
The first photo of this album was an aged wooden door, with an ornate detailing over the threshold. “You could just see the age and feel the history,” Yvette said. “I was drawn to the detail. We just don’t do that anymore. An artisan was probably commissioned to do the threshold work."
I was surprised to learn, that most of the door pictures she had taken were of residential buildings. The fact that these extraordinary doors were used in ordinary places, was something that mesmerized Yvette. “Here, in the U.S., for the most part, doors are pretty basic... The doors in the cities I visited were special in some way, whether it be the shape, color, or materials that were used.”
I’ve included the doors album below for you to look through and feel the same inspiration that Yvette did. Hopefully you too can draw inspiration and look for ways to incorporate the colors, lines, textures, and materials of the doors she saw in Europe, into your own home design. Whether it be for your front door or bedroom door, adding adornment and style to this decorating feature goes a long way.
1 You can tell how much thought and hard work went into this masterpiece of a door. (Budapest)
2 The metal work on the windows reminds me of fleur-de-lis. (Budapest)
3 What an outstanding color for a door. (Budapest)
4 The woodwork on this set of doors is amazing. (Budapest)
5 What a great contrast of colors. (Vienna)
6 What attracts my eye most to this picture is the detailing around the entryway. (Vienna)
7 I'm loving this unique color palette. (Vienna)
8 I'll have to save this idea. Shutters on a door look great. (Vienna)
9 The rusty coral color of this door reminds me of vintage photos. (Vienna)
10 The combination of wood and metal work so great together. (Vienna)
11 The slanting woodwork gives this door such character. It's almost as if it's sleepy. (Prague)
12 I think the graffiti actually adds something to this door. (Vienna)
13 The detailing makes this door look almost armor-like. (Prague)
14 A great detail of the door. (Prague)
15 The cool blue of the graffiti mixed with the chocolate of the door and the pop of red flowers is an inspiring combination. I see why Yvette was drawn to it. (Prague)
16 I like the diamond patten. (Prague)
17 This is such an exciting color for a door. (Prague)
18 Emerald is such an interesting idea for a door color. It's bold, but earthy. A good choice if you want a unique front door. (Prague)
Kevin Sharkey 
From: Rowaida Flayhan | 8/8/11 at 1:41 pm
Beautiful door entrances love the designs and colors.