These two attractive green doors are in the town of Silves, Portugal.
I use the word ‘attractive’ because I love the tiles, the cobbles, the ornate metal balconies and the old doors with curved frames, traditional style hearkening back to when the building was originally constructed.
However, I don’t love the unsightly (and dangerous-looking) tangle of wires, the clunky air conditioning unit and the metal post plonked into the old cobbles. Don’t get me wrong – there is much to love about modern design and the convenience it brings. However, in this instance, all these ‘conveniences’ have done is to detract from what was a rather nice building facade.
Sometimes I think that, as a species, we are so keen to ‘modernise’ that we overlook that which is already in place. Only once the damage is done, the old things lost, do we realise.
This was my response to the Thursday Doors Challenge, courtesy of Norm 2.0. For more doors, or to add one of your own, head over to Norm’s site and click the link.
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Helen Glynn Jones 
In this case, these are easily fixable eyesores. But I completely agree: “Only once the damage is done, the old things lost, do we realise.” It’s sad. Aside from that, I love the shape and surrounding tiles for these, too. 🙂 Charming.
Thanks Sarah 🙂 Yes, these are superficial wounds, definitely, though I reckon that air conditioner might leave a bit of a hole. Glad you agree xx
It’s too bad they’ve left parts of it unsightly, but that tile work is beautiful. I also like the cobblestone as that’s not something I see often.
I do love the color and I agree the cobblestone looks charming.
Thanks, Miriam. It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? 🙂
How articulately written. 😊
Thanks, Kristin! 🙂
I do love your door posts. 🙂
Thanks, Kev! 🙂
Those airconditioning units are hideous. They aren’t supposed to be fixed on protected façades, though people manage to get round rules somehow. And they’re noisy. What’s the gain in comfort?
Exactly. Just open a window, wave a fan, drink some cool water. And enjoy the unspoilt beauty of your facade.
In France the Portuguese immigrants have a certain reputation for buying old houses, smashing all the old plaster, mouldings, doors, windows, tiles and parquet and putting antiseptic tiles everywhere possible so they can reach the degree of cleanliness required (hospital surgery level) with the minimum of effort.
Really? That’s such a strange thing to do. Why not just buy a new build house? Such things are a mystery to me…
Like most immigrants they live cheap and close to their work. Often they’re building a new house back in Portugal, but until they retire, they spend all their spare time making the house in town gorgeous, knackling and poggling until it’s their idea of perfection. I think all working class societies are a but like that, especially where women are supposed to get fulfilment out of ‘the home’.
Yes, I suppose that’s true. I remember my portuguese friend in middle school – her house was always scrubbed to an immaculate standard, her mother always working on something.
I always wince when I think of people smashing out period details – there’s so much of it that happens, so much that is lost.
There’s a lot of destruction carried out by people with more money than sense too. At least the Portuguese makeover is with a sort of practicality in mind. People who have enough money to buy big old apartments and trash the old windows to put in PVC double glazing and the old parquet for trendy waxed concrete floors make me so angry.
Oh yes, plenty of people doing that – it makes me ragey too, especially those bloody plastic windows!
Yes the whole scene could be prettier but I sure do love those tiles though – nice find 🙂
Thanks, Norm! 🙂 I love the tiles too, such a nice way to decorate a facade.
Lovely doors and those tiles are wonderful!
Thanks, Vicky! I love the tiles too 🙂