Façade .
Such a beautiful word.
I’ve been fascinated not only with the word itself, but with what it represents, since the age of seven.
Standing in front of my aunt’s newly purchased home, I was instructed to appreciate, to take in every detail of the façade.
A massive, ornate wooden door took center stage while the beautiful French windows served as the perfect accompaniment.
“Bella,” my aunt said, “A home is only as beautiful as its façade.”
At the time, I was too young to understand that what my aunt was trying to say was that a façade is like a letter of presentation; a preview of what’s to come.
And this is because a façade can either attract visitors or it can repel them.
Of course, this isn’t true of all façades.
I’ve visited homes where the façade was plain and nondescript and yet the home’s interior was breathtakingly beautiful.
Some might believe that viewing a façade for the first time is like the initial impression you have when you meet people–you’re either interested in getting to know them better or you’re unimpressed.
The latter signifying that you’re not desirous of discovering whether or not they might have other qualities that aren’t visible at first sight.
I was most impressed with the majority of the façades I saw in Spain.
Some of them were beautifully adorned with flowers; others simply stood in the perfect spot.
Some piqued my curiosity and made me wonder what lay inside; others allowed me to dream of sitting on their terraces while drinking coffee.
Façade: the first thing you see when approaching a house and what you most remember upon leaving.
What does your actual or dream façade look like?
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Absolutely dreamy, Bella!!!! I love them all, and they all draw me in…. I want to ring the doorbells and say HOLA!!!
Jann, you do my self proclaimed amateur photographer heart proud! Thank you! I’m sure that with your sweet demeanor, anyone living in those homes would say, “Mi casa es tu casa.” My home is your home! :)
Beautiful! Great to be back here.
http://rimlybezbaruah.blogspot.in/2012/08/gone.html
Rimly, thank you, lady! I’m so happy to see you here! :)
Ah, Bella, you’ve captured some gorgeous photos here! I think the colorful flowers are particularly welcoming at a front door, don’t you? Flowers and wind chimes. Oh, and fountains. Nothing like gurgling fountains to make you want to go inside, share a cup of tea, and chat a while! I love seeing the different-colored stones and pavements at Spanish homes. Makes me want to go see it in person!
Debbie, I agree–wind chimes and gurgling fountains are very welcoming! Flowers too! I wish you could see these in person! Perhaps a trip to Spain in the near future? hee hee! :)
Those are beautiful pictures Bella! It’s how I picture Europe, though I obviously know it is not all a similar facade. My dream facade is a big wrap-around porch. I think it’s the southern girl in me!
Caryn, would you believe I’ve always dreamed of a wrap around porch as well? They are simply beautiful! Oh, and rocking chairs! Gotta have me some rocking chairs for that porch! ha! :)
So many beautiful photos! Can I go with you next year? :D
Thank you, lady! How soon can you pack? ha! :)
Amaaaaaaaaaaaazing Bella!!!!
Especially #4–it looks like a painting!
Beautiful pics. I also like all the variety in #2 and #7–with the colours and the blue sky!
Outstanding!
Pete
Hello Pete! I’m delighted you approve! I love your enthusiasm! It most definitely makes me glad to have taken these! Thank you for your kind words! :)
Love them all, Bella! I agree that a home’s facade is like a first impression of the home. It doesn’t always match the inside to follow, but you usually get a pretty good idea. No matter the location, a neat and clean facade is most important. But I also like to add “make-up” and decorations to my facade. I’ll be showing my Fall facade in my next post!
Your pictures are beautiful!
Nina, from what I’ve seen of the photos you’ve posted on your blog, your home is lovely! I can’t wait to see your fall facade! Thank you for your sweet words, lady! They are much appreciated! :)
I’m partial to the stone or collumns or the old half-timbered houses in Europe. Love them!
Renee, I love the stone facades. They’re so rustic and charming! I’ve always wanted to incorporate wooden beams in my ceiling and a stone fireplace. So romantic! :)
I would love the bougainvillea all over the place. Such a powerful flower!
Jodi, I love the color fuschia. I think that’s why I think bougainvillea is so beautiful. So colorful and joyful, don’t you think? :)
Fabulous, Magical, Heavenly! I Adore the balconies, flowers, gates, brick, & the vivid colours.
Absolutely Dreamy & Rooooomantic.
I would LOVE to name my house: Um, how about: “Love Shack.”
I love that name for my Yacht, too.
A girl can dream, can’t she?
BIG kiss for You & ROx the Fox. xx
Kim, methinks the name “Love Shack” would fit your abode to a tee! And your yacht as well! Dream on, sister, it makes life so much more beautiful! Kisses for you from Roxy and me! xoxo :)
Fantastic shots, Bella. They’re all so captivating. I love the topic of this post, so intriguing.
I’ve always regretted my home has a very unassuming entry, that’s because it’s built on a hill leaving, so it is our backyard that offers the view. My eyes pop a little when I see tallish homes, with lots of gracious trees leading up to the front door. Of course, I can dream about a nice wide covered porch, the kind you can sit on and keep dry during an unexpected rainstorm.
Patrice, I would love to have the kind of porch that keeps you sheltered in a rain storm! How cozy! Your house on a hill with a backyard view sounds charming! No need to worry about ostentatious facades when you have that, my dear! :)
Lovely! The facade of my dream cottage includes a parade of flowers in a riot of colors lining a walkway from the street. The front door (which is sometimes shadowed by an old-fashioned screen door) is gently arched with a multi-pane window allowing plenty of light in. Big windows on either side of the front door are framed by pretty shutters, and climbing vines festooned with buds ready to burst into an array of color. The cottage itself has a whimsical, once-upon-a-time quality that both beckons and intrigues.
What fun, Bella! :-) xoxo
Ellen, isn’t it wonderful how a topic like this ignites our wish to dream and “see” things just as we want them? Fun indeed, my friend! And your cottage sounds delightful! I’m ready to move in! :)
These pictures make you want to move right on in, interior sight-unseen.
I love the pictures of the alleys in old European cities. I love the way the facades cling to their age and refuse to be anything but what they are. They wear their age beautifully, slightly crooked here and there and all the better for it. It’s the idiosyncrasies that give them charm. Old houses settle into themselves, hunker down and claim their ground.
My house has not one level floor or true right angle in it. I had the plaster walls repainted, but left the wood ceiling untouched, with its stains and peeling paint. There is a crack in the plaster at the corner of the fireplace and I wave to it as I go by.
Old is glorious!
Beautiful pictures…
Eloise, you have such a way with words, girlfriend! Old is glorious! Hear, hear! I think these days the young uns are calling it “vintage.” hee hee! Well, I say, sign me up for a vintage cottage, very much like the one Ellen described up above. I think I would feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven! Thanks to both you ladies for inspiring me to dream just a wee bit! :)
Those are beautiful photos Bella. I know you said you liked Spain the best. Where do you live?
Thank you, Sheila! I love Spain! My mother is Spanish, you see. But in all honesty, I think all European countries are beautiful. As for where I live…it’s a secret! Methinks it aids in keeping the mystery alive! hee hee! :)
Beautiful facades. I’m sure they all look nice inside, too.
Paz, I believe you’re right, chica. If they look this beautiful on the outside, there’s a good chance that they look just as nice on the inside! :)
Oh my word… these facades are magnificent Bella! I’ve been fascinated with the word ‘façade’ too… But the way it’s been interpreted in our culture has a negative connotation, as in “an artificial or deceptive front… “A false, superficial, appearance or effect.” But here, you’ve shone the light on its original meaning. Charming facades!
Debra, you’re such an intellectual! I love that about you! I’m glad we’ve been able to emphasize the positive side of “facade.” Isn’t it wonderful how we’re able to redirect and follow the positive aspects of things? How wonderful that you caught that! I’m so happy you like the photos! :)
Hubby and I were just discussing this topic yesterday… sorta. He was telling the new bartender at the pub that out place is a “dump”, and I shot him my usual sour look when he says that. We rent the bottom half of a house, and the exterior is run-down, no denying it.
He quickly amended his statement to include that we (really me) made it as nice on the inside as we can.
I just wish I could paint over the white walls… ugh!
Hello Amy! I have missed you! White walls are an enigma. Some people are artists at choose their decor so that white walls serve to showcase it and others, like us, are left to moan over the dreariness that white walls can often project. I think a pretty picture alleviates a stark white wall–not too many, mind you, since I’m easily overwhelmed, but one picture can make a difference. I’m glad Hubby was able to do damage control. Good save! :)
I wish I was walking with you while you clicked these stunning pictures, Bella. Spain is certainly on my ‘visit someday’ list!
Corinne, you would love Spain! The food and wine are out of this world wonderful and the weather is fantastic! Add to that the tapas, the cafe con leche, and the paella and well, what more can we ask for? hee hee! I’m tickled pink you like the photos, lady! Thank you! :)
Bella, you found some beautiful facades! I especially like the one where you say, don’t let it fool you for it has an ocean view. Well, I was unfamiliar with bougainvillea until I moved to Seattle where it grows in abundance and many a home is bedecked in it. Well, that’s my idea of the perfect facade. One that is rich with all kinds of flowers!
Monica, you’re so right–flowers seem to make for an extraordinary facade. I love the brightness and abundance of the Bougainvillea. It’s very popular in Spain and I don’t know, it’s so cheerful, don’t you think? The photo of you’re talking about lies smack in front of the ocean. It has the most amazing view, lady. Imagine what it must be like to sit on the terrace drinking (insert your favorite beverage here) whilst looking at the sea! :)
Funny you should mention that! Our’s in unfinished as of yet. Hubby is going to do stucco but has been working on the interior of the addition so we have wood. I guess our facade says, “Patience please! We’re working on it!” I love the Spanish influence.
Nan, facades that are a work in progress are also wonderful! They’re like a story unfolding and I’m certain Hubby is going to turn out something fantastic! You must photograph it and share it with us once it’s finished! :)
Wow, your photos got me daydreaming early in the morning, Bella! I love the one which looks like from a storybook! I wish I can make my dreamhouse that beautiful someday! <3 :-)
Irene, how lovely to read that these photos have started your day off so wonderfully! The story book door is fantastic. The colors are very earthy and it stands next to the most adorable shop. Every time I pass it when I’m in Spain, I just sigh. :)
Beautiful pictures Bella. Each one is beautiful and unique in it’s own way. I’ve never seen something like these before. Thanks a lot for sharing them.
Arindam, you’re always so kind. Thank you! I’m happy you like the shots! :)
I simply LOVE the pictures! Breathtaking!
And I love the word ‘facade’ too (even though I’m very bad at putting that lil’ hook under the ‘c’). It gives you this tingly feeling, doesn’t it?
Sanchari, you’re adorable! Would you believe I had to do a copy and paste of the word facade throughout this post? For the comments I’ve left it with the “little hook” (hee hee!) because it appears that it’s also acceptable to do so. But between you and me, it doesn’t look as fancy, does it? hee hee! I love that you love the photos! :)
*blush*
Oh! Yes…the ‘hook’ lends it all the fanciness because of which it looks oh-so-awesome :D
Sanchari, I so agree! And we girls love fancy! hee hee! :)
oh em gee. AFter this post, I was hit in the face with a whopping “Laura, there is much you need to know about the world.” It hadn’t even occurred to me that facades existed! (in this sense, I mean) And now I want one. Which means, of course, that I have to move to Europe. It’s only proper. :) Happy weekend, lovely lady!
Laura, we are ready to welcome you with open arms here in Europe! With your beautiful fashion style, you’re going to fit right in! Have a lovely weekend, my friend! :)
Oh, these are beautiful! A façade says everything about a house. And the people inside! Flowers especially draw me in. I guess I feel that anyone who can grow and nurture flowers must be warm and kind and worth getting to know. :)
You have to run through the jungle to reach my front door. My vines have taken over. I love them!
Diane, I love it when I see a wall on a home that is covered in vines! It’s so rustic and beautiful! Although I confess I worry about bugs, but I think that with proper maintenance, this isn’t a problem. I love flowers too! They are so inviting and give such a pop of color, adding cheerfulness and joy. Sigh. :)
Fabulous photos! I love all the color and warmth.
Our home, which we moved into six months ago, looks very plain from the street (inside, though, pure Paradise with water and mountain views). In the back, people can walk up a public right-of-way next to our home, and we recently added terracing with abundant flowers and shrubs. I am in the process of adding fruit trees and rhododendrons to dress up the front yard. We added a deck above the garage, and come spring I will add planters on the street side. I love having a plain “canvas” to work with!
Nadine, your new home sounds like a dream! And who needs a fancy facade when you have a water and mountain view inside?? Oh my! How utterly beautiful. I can imagine myself sitting in front of such a view, drinking my coffee, and day dreaming. Just day dreaming! :)
Beautiful! All of them look so warm and inviting!
Beautiful photos. In France I’m always taking pictures of doors and windows because they use such fabulous colors on doors and shutters. And they have all the great geraniums. Here at home I’d never live in a home without a proper front porch, i.e., one where you can put chairs and wave at the neighbors after dinner. I had the modern suburban style where the garage takes up 2/3 of the façade.