Stone out of a village house

I mentioned in a previous blog entry that the interior of some village houses are quite convoluted due to the walls of the village, adjoining buildings, accretion of nearby buildings, etc.  These were really interesting to me.  Why are the huge stone blocks protruding above this village house door?  Charming and interesting.

Worn Stone Steps In Village House

These worn stone steps lead to a village house doorway.  The houses are all built together, and you get some real weird interior and exterior configurations.  You could have the interior space of one house actually encroach the space of another house or the areas between them. They can be a maze of staircases and odd dimension rooms that do nothing but add charm.

Houses on Hilltop Village Lane

The houses on the hilltop village are built of local stone and are quite picturesque, if not neatly square and planned.  This adds to the charm of the village houses.  Note, in spite of being built on stone, there is greenery where ever there can be some.

Village House Door -- Les Baux-de-Provence

This is just one example of the beautiful doorways of France.  Notice particularly the security gate. It is essentially a piece of flat iron with incisions, and the incisions are peeled back to provide a decorative, yet function pattern for security.  This is a widely used pattern in Provence.

For a book on beautiful doorways of France, follow this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D19FLIS

Complex Village House

(click for larger image)

The large entrances below suggest that in the past there may have been a commercial venture in this elegant village house. The simple shutters are to keep out the sun and the biting Mistral wind.  The turret in the background looks like it may have been a storage structure of some type -- perhaps for some agricultural products?

Some House Pictures of Provence

Many of the houses in the south of France are made of field stone. In the first photo, we have a hilltop village house that has been modernized and updated.


The second picture is a farmhouse in a hammeau or a farming village compound.

Both of these construction techniques show a use of the indigenous building materials that make the domiciles part of the terroir.

I consider these buildings to be beautiful.

Chocolat Thermometer on a House Wall

A thermometer advertising chocolat hangs on the wall of a village house in the town of Apt in the Luberon valley of Provence.

House Built Into A Village Wall

Black shutters keep the sun out of a house built right into the southern exposure of a village wall.

Beautiful Wooden Door

A village house has an elegant wrought iron gate and a marvelous old wood door that adds charm to this residence.

Village House with Artistic Flair

An ocher village house displays an artistic flair with a bird motif.

Hidden Living Spaces

Little patios, hidden nooks, flowers, doorways, bright shutters, and a barbecue are the hallmarks of these village house entrance ways.

Iron Gate

An iron gate closes off the lower level egress to a village house. Village house built on hills have weird inner geometries such that a doorway like this could be a main entrance. It is part of the enchantment of the buildings in Provence.

The fancy while filigree on the shuttered blue windows caught my eye. The robin egg blue contrasts with the yellow ocher and you see a small evergreen tree peeking out near the window to the right.

Ancient Village Doors

If the doors to this village house could tell tales, they would speak of the long history and richness of the events that passed through these portals.

Three Tiers

Here you can see the three tiers of a hilltop village. I am standing on the low tier of the village. The upper tier has a broken down wall from the days of yore.

Geranium Window

The amazing thing about Provence, is how people use flowers to add colour to a drab window, doorway or balcony.

Here a pot of geraniums colour an ancient window sill.

The Blue Door

This is a laneway in a mountain-top village. The blue door is an entrance way to a village house.