Wednesday, November 22, 2006

houses .. doors.. emotions.. and a book to read..

I have a special relation with houses.. I have changed 5 during 17 yrs.. and even I buy or rent.. I decided the same way.. I fell in love with each.. did even not finish to visit them.. it was a love on first sight.. and in this condition.. love on the doorstep..
one of my favourite bloggers..tongue in cheek finds always beautiful ways of showing us the importance of life.. takes care to sharpen our sight and vision.. with her words.. and her photos..
and frequently.. she has door photos..
I asked her today if she ever thinks about the symbolism of doors..
I have lots of door photos myself.. doors.. walls and windows..
I believe windows and doors are like the face of human.. no I don't mean the eyes and mouth symbolism as in the children's naive pictures.. more than that.. they have expressions..
they can be happy.. satisfied.. interested.. hostile .. sad.. friendly.. or real in pain..
the one below is a very jovial door from old Datya.. an old stone house.. and the door has a very interesting stucture..
the dark part just above the opening is made of a log.. I know well I hit my head on it =))

I read somewhere that painting your main door red.. makes the visits to your house less frequent because it is an alarming colour.. well not this one.. I think it mostly relates with the shape of the door.. that one is so friendly.. you want to push it.. and step inside..
a hand carved .. once loved.. now less popular.. tired one
an arty one.. there is such a detailed work on the wood and the hand.. it shows you the power of the owner.. makes you think he is a nice and rich man.. I say nice.. because of the choice of the shapes on the wood.. so fine..intricate but not over-powering.. and rich.. beacause of the height and rich materials.. this must be the house of an harmonious family.. good relationship.. slamming ( you can't easily slam a door this big and heavy)


but there is none that impresses me like these left ones..
I don't know the reason of the stones in the middle of it..
of course it is to avoid intruders.. and to prevent hazards and accidents..
but why stones.. may it be.. to stop the whole structure collapsing.. because they are all wooden supports for the walls above the doors and windows.. and if not used or left empty they may collapse ??
but whatever the reason.. they touch my heart..
I think about the joy and good intentions .. with wich the construction began.. a new family nest is being build.. songs were süng during the construction.. meals were eaten in group..during the resting hours.. furniture were placed.. lives lived.. and then left behind.. who was the last person to get out of this door.. did he leave it open.. or lock it with care.. why did they not sell it.. or deconstruct it.. are there any hopes that he fills with life and human emotions again..
I read a novel this summer .. from a turkish author who leaves abroad and write in english (then translated to turkish.. it must feel funny being translated to your own language).. Seven Houses.. it was the story of the occupants of a house.. told by the house..a story of a few generations of the family..it was dreamy.. I wish you could read it too.
this is a strong book which pushes you start to visualise your house .. as a person.. with emotions..
and it had a stronger effect on me.. as I already had that feeling ..
how about you.. how do you feel about houses.. and your's.. what story do you believe your house is telling to complete strangers
ps.. w.i.p. black bolero goes on.. will be finished in a few days.. still no photos.. =(

6 comments:

Annie Jeffries said...

Hello Pinar. I am so happy I found your blog through Corey's site. I have a special love for doors and windows as well. Those you have presented here as well as your thoughts are beautiful and insightful.

Cat said...

I completly enjoyed journeying past these doors thru your thoughts. I agree that doors say a lot. The other day I drove past the home we sold and saw that the new owners had placed an Autumn wreath on the cream colored door, it looked very welcoming; I wanted to go on in!
My front door now is a deep burgundy color - I hope it say's "come on in" to all who approach - maybe I'll find a wreath for it today.

Now, I'm going to go back to look at your pictures of doors, they just facinate me.

Unknown said...

Hi Pinar,
I love this post! You are so right that doors have many stories to tell. The photos are just beautiful. The artist kerri smith suggests a drawing exercise: draw all the door you can remember in your life. Write something for each one. I did that exercise and learned a lot.

Tongue in Cheek Antiques said...

Wonderful, these doors are!! I love the stones blocking the passage ways!!

Anonymous said...

Some doors looks closed even though they are open, others looks open and inviting even if they are close.
Thanks for your good reflections dear Pinar.
I also love doors and have tons of photos of them.

One Crabapple said...

Doors ! Portals to the future !

Yes Tongue in Cheek brings us such beauty....as do you.

I winced when I read what you wrote about hitting your head on that log ! YIKES....laughing. That was NO fun.

The red door ! interesting...the chinese believe red to keep out evil right ? so maybe the only visitors kept at bay are the ones you would not want in anyway ! laughing. People that would see a RED door and be happy ! those are your visitors ! See ?

oh yes...how interesting....! who was the last one to close the door....I like your thinking here.

well. I can only tell you one thing I know for sure that my house is telling any visitors right this minute.....PLEASE CLEAN ME !

laughing. Love, S.