You might say that there is some significance to my interest in doors and photographing them when I travel.  Doors are both for entry and exit. Doors are associated with passage. In other words, doors lead to someplace other than where you are.

To me, a door is a symbol of opportunity (as in opportunity knocks…on the door!).  Doors and doorways are symbols of transition.

Seeing unusual doors when I travel is mysterious. My imagination runs freely. “Behind closed doors”- what lies beyond it? Are these doors protecting something? When a door is open it could mean I’m invited to move forward into a  new adventure.

The colors of doors can also be telling you something about the people behind the door. A beautiful example of color for doors is Merrion Square in Dublin. Here you see the well photographed Doors of Dublin on the beautiful Georgian townhouses. The custom of colorful doors goes back to when the Square was first built. There were strict rules to adhere to architectural guidelines. The only way to express individuality and set your home apart from the rest was to select a bright color for your door.

I read in a door color ideas blog by The Pro Team about what colors say about you. Colors represent different messages. Red is “welcome”. Orange says you are very social. Blue says you enjoy peace and truth. Gray is an indecisive color and says you prefer compromise.  Green says you have traditional values. Black says your world is ordered and controlled. White says simple and organized. Brown says you are warm, reliable and stable. Yellow says you are positive and logical while also creative. Turquoise speaks to emotional balance, a romantic dreamer. Pink is for a hopeless romantic. Purple says you are comfortable taking risks. Wood says you are generous and down to earth .

Here are some of the doors I saw this summer on our trip to Europe.

Porto Portugal

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Beaumaris, Wales

Merrion Square, Dublin

Nantes, France

Saint-Estephe, France

Saint-Emilion, France

Liborne, France

San Sebastian, Spain (Basque)

Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France (Basque)

Bilboa Spain

I leave you with an open door.

Here we are at September 1, 2017. Definitely time to start thinking about Fall colors.

For Fall here are the Pantone colors:

17-1558 Grenadine-It is a powerful red. It is a warm red that to my eye has a coral-orange base rather than a Christmas red. Very attractive color that will be great on a variety of skin tones.  Think about the color of the syrup used for some cocktails like a Singapore Sling or a Pink Lady.

19-1725 Tawny Port- sticking with the alcohol references, think about a glass of Port wine.  This is a rich and sophisticated color in the deep red family.

13-2808 Ballet Slipper– this is a very soft pink “descended from the red family” but so soft. This was our go-to pink when I was buying or merchandising lingerie and sleepwear. It is very flattering and gives the wearer a rosy glow.

16-1341 Butterum– a warm tan shade. Think of a perfectly toasted slice of bread, or , if you want to stay with the alcohol references, think of a glass of Butterum!

19-4029 Navy Peony– This shade of navy is a perfect anchoring color. Some say it takes some of the load off of black as everyone’s go-to color. Navy is actually more flattering to most complexions than black is. But, seriously, would anyone ever surrender black in their wardrobe?

17-4402 Neutral Gray– Pantone refers to this as “the standard bearer of all neutrals.” This color also anchors the palette and can either be an accent or a total monochromatic outfit.

19-4524 Shaded Spruce- This is a beautiful deep shade of green with a lot of blue in it. Think of the Blue Spruce trees that some people choose for their Christmas tree.

16-0543 Golden Lime– Very earthy shade with golden undertones. This is a nice complement to the fall palette.

17-4041 Marina- This is a beautiful shade of blue. It is the only cool color in the palette and it is fresh and bright.

17-1145 Autumn Maple– THE autumnal color. This is a warm color and is a combination of rusts. Think falling leaves.

A new color has been created by Pantone and the Prince Estate. It will be called “Love Symbol #2″. It is a distinctive blue base purple developed to honor Prince. This will insure that there will be consistency with the color and will safeguard his legacy forever.