A Provencal maison de Village (a house in the south of France, which is located in the center of town) has a distinct style. They are at least three stories high, made with stones, they have long narrow windows with shutters that are painted in traditional colors, such as blue, green, dark red, gray or lavender. The roofs are tiled in terre cuite tiles called, tuiles, do you know how they use to be made?
Kid you not.
Various shades of blue depending on the year they were painted.
I have to remind myself that the colors I see often reflect years passing and not present tense. Maybe if the shutters were in their original colors, just painted, I might not find them as attractive as I do now. Often faded grandeur speaks beautifully doesn't it?
A maison de village has details that showed the class of the house: Upper class or of a simpler class. Upper class homes at the time had window ledges, or trims that were more ornate, and the cornice under the roof tiles were layered. The the upper class maison de village doors were of solid walnut or oak wood. Though the simpler homes the doors are painted to match the shutters.
A painting from the museum in Arles, depicting a typical day in a simple working class Provencal village. Note the simple lines of the homes.
Classic yellow with blue gray doors in the Panier in Marseilles.
A rosette door knob usually in the middle of the door. A key open the door while the handle was used merely to push the door open. Most door handles on French doors were used in this way.
Maison de village in Arles, note the detail, you know what that means… The round windows are called, "Bull"s Eye." I love the roundness of the corner of this building in Arles.
A yellow post office box in the center of my town. "La prochaine levee aura lieu…Mardi."
"The next pick up will take place: Tuesday." Though that is questionable if you know what I mean.
The older man is wearing a traditional blue workman's jacket. Called, "Bleu de travail" Worker's Blues.
Layers upon layers of paint hide the details of this two hundred year old forged iron door handle.
The base of the tiled roof top's edging is made of baked clay. (Doesn't it look like the lace on a petticoat?) Though the edging along the roof is elaborate, the windows are not trimmed, and the sills are flat and plain. Exception to the rule n'est pas! Note: The window sits half way between the thick stone wall. Therefore there is a ledge on both sides of the window. The windows are about four feet high.
In the past the owner of a shop would live above their workplace in an apartment. The shops in the center of the village, as well as the cities. Often the old shops are turned into garages. A sad practicality nowadays.
The doors have letter slots to drop the mail.
I wish this was my doorway. Elegant, stone trimmed, amazing outdoor lamps, and wait what is that I notice… shockingly a door handle has been added! What's up with that?
A double delight, rosette and Fatima's hand.
An intricate hook for a shutter. When the shutter's are pulled closed (and they are every evening) they are locked from the inside.
Talk about blue in your face.
Patchwork.
Art Nouveau style, note the long fingers of this classic hand knocker. If you look at the other ones the fingers are small and round, they are older.
The beauty of a hand-cut iron lock and handle, from the 18th century.
A diamond shaped iron cut-out is standard fare for a lock cover.
A French door key, most keys are like this.
The shutter's hook and lock.
At least a two hundred year old window hinge. Talk about "Don't change it unless it is broken."
I won't end this with a knock knock joke, but if you would like you may add one.
Photos: Mostly from my village in Provence.
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