KNOCK KNOCK…WHO’S THERE…?

Here’s another very entertaining post from The Paris Corespondent, Shirley Riley. Here are the links to her other posts.

Guest Blogger – The Paris Corespondent

Paris is a ‘Spatial’ Place

This is NOT a COVER UP…

Watching the World Go By

A Croque Retrospective

KNOCK KNOCK…WHO’S THERE…?

The humble doorknob. It’s purpose?—to turn and allow entry into a room, a home—(perhaps to an adventure?) While useful, the lowly doorknob is purely functional and does not inspire much interest or excitement. It is just ‘there’ to do it’s job. While the ‘lever’ door handle does add a bit of modernity and style, again—it’s just a piece of hardware screwed into what is usually a pretty basic door made of wood or metal thus allowing entry. While necessary, turning a knob or pressing a lever to push open a door is just one of the mundane activities we all engage in on a daily basis.

In the latter part of the 20th century, knockers appeared on some well appointed front doors, adding interest (and a touch of class). Knockers screwed into the top center of a door were there to add panache; all were either shiny or burnished brass and shared the same shape. Their purpose was to look good and get the attention of the inhabitants without banging your knuckles or using a boring electronic ‘ring ring’ doorbell or buzzer. One simply lifts the knocker and firmly raps it several times on the door.

Bottom line, to gain entry one is generally tasked with turning, pushing down, shoving open, ringing, buzzing, or banging on a brass knocker. Functional, yes; noteworthy, no. My point is that items of necessity do not have to be unremarkable. Most certainly not in Paris where one frequently moves from mundane to magnifique. Oh La La….

Numerous entry doors off Parisian boulevards or even on modest side streets tend to be grand, fabulous, beautiful. Of course there are basic doors that sport basic door hardware (ho hum), but a stroll in Paris is like walking through a museum as you pass extravagant and provocative doorways and extravagant entries that are not only to be admired, but make you wonder what might lie beyond the door…?

Knobs and knockers are not evident in every picture as some doors open with a key fob or electronic code—or just a good shove. But no worries—as can be seen in these photos, many Parisian doors are indeed adorned with clever and unique knobs, openers, levers, and knockers that make you smile in appreciation. There are several beautifully carved faces and designs including a contorted dragon, a swan, a lion sporting a nose ring, what must be poor Medusa’s head, and a cobbler’s shoe last handle on a shoe store. One knocker unexpectedly looks like Winston Churchill. One heavily carved one is scary. To me it suggests the bowels of hell or a really bad party—(you guess which..)

Some are simply iron or brass handles that one grasps and pushes.

Certainly not all entry way doors throughout Paris exhibit the same level of grandeur. Some clearly show the patina of age (sometimes the patina of ‘lack of maintenance.’) In use daily, some display graffiti, splintered wood, or grubby finger marks. And yet, even they are beautiful in their own way.

These door knockers are in use every day—and have been for decades. Why, you can find them at antique markets and street fairs to use on your door—or perhaps some other purpose in your home—(fun to think about.)

You never quite know what one might discover behind one of these doors. Part of the fun of it is imagining what lies beyond… Sometimes it’s surprising, sometimes disappointing, sometimes—-Wow! One day, when walking past a pair of beautiful double doors with one side open, I was surprised to see garbage cans and stacks of boxes: storage. On another occasion I glanced beyond an open entry and saw this classy vestibule. When visiting a friend’s Paris apartment for the first time, this staircase is what we encountered as soon as the entry doors opened. Now that was a real ‘oh la la’ moment.

I don’t routinely wait outside for a ‘fancy’ entry door to open to capture a photo of the large and beautiful and large courtyards within what are usually residences on Left Bank and elsewhere in Paris. This is in part out of respect for the privacy of those who ‘live within’ and very much out of concern that one of the security guards might ask why I am taking photos.

As a personal postscript, here is my funky metaphor for ‘life.’ (Please don’t roll your eyes; stick with me for a moment…) I think of life as a long hallway lined with doors—with a beautiful one at the far end. Some people glide through life without opening any of those doors—and do live very fulfilled lives. My husband and I are at the other extreme: we open every door! Sometimes we have scuttled back; sometimes we have lingered awhile—even a long while. But we are always ready for what comes next. That is why we are in Paris. Each ‘door opening’ has added new and rich experiences, memories, stories, sometimes even life lessons. No regrets.

Consider opening the next door in your hallway. Turn the knob, bang the knocker, or just push. It just might lead to your next ‘Grande Aventure’.

Thank you Shirley, for this delightful post! As always, we’d love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment.