More European Doorways

If you have been following my blog (and specifically my travels) for a while now, you know how much I enjoy photographing spectactular architecture and especially doors...  You can see the first post I did about doors from my travels the last few years in Europe here.  

I have put together a few more from our more recent adventures, plus a few going back a while, to add to the collection.  I hope that some of these doors speak to you, as they did to me, and that perhaps they will provide some European-style entryway inspiration, too!

Madrid, Spain May 2011

Copenhagen, Denmark August 2011

Madrid, Spain May 2011

Tuscany, Italy June 2011

Barcelona, Spain September 2010

Brugge, Belgium August 2009

Munich, Germany April 2011

Venice, Italy October 2008

I hope you enjoyed this little "architectural vacation"!

All photos were taken by me, Barbara Jordan Dettweiler.  
Please do not use without my consent.

Scandinavian-Inspired Christmas

You may remember the posts I did over the Summer about Scandinavian design as part of our trip to Denmark and Norway.  In the process I discovered some beautiful inspirations for Christmas, and I have added to my collection of images of Scandinavian-inspired* designs for the holidays ever since. 

(*BTW, as with other posts inspired by various countries, I realize these all may not actually be in Scandinavia, but are nevertheless inspired by this clean, organic approach to design...  I have gotten some comments along those lines and didn't mean to mislead you wonderful readers!  The same is true for my French, Spanish, etc. posts - ie, in some cases these images are actually from the US or elsewhere!  Isn't that the great thing about blogland?  That we can be inspired by the decor of one place but realize it in our own homes in another?  :)) 

Anyway, here are a few of my favorites! 

via Bright Bazaar

Notice the writing on each drawer - love that!



via emmeline's blog





Slettvoll



 

via emmeline's blog

via Color Outside the Lines Blog



stockholm vitt



The White Company

Miss Mustard Seed Creations

IKEA

blomverkistad

Stockholm Vitt

splendidwillow.com

 tidningenlantliv.se



What do you think of this look?

Highlights of Danish Architecture

This is the last installment in my posts about our trip to Denmark and Norway recently...I hope you have enjoyed the various angles on this fantastic part of the world that we had the pleasure of discovering!  Enjoy this glimpse into the variety of architecture that we came across...


Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Love, love, love the copper turrets on this fabulous roofline!

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

This was a former submarine building station...converted into very high end condos. 

Modern Danish design at its best, and on the water. 

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Peek-a-boo.



Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

An elegant addition to this otherwise unremarkable facade. 



Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

 

This combination of brick and elaborate rooflines reminded me a lot

of the architecture that I loved on our trip to Belgium. 

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Very french! 



Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler



Very cool combination with the red and white...

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler



A very typical street scene. Notice all of the green detailing on the building.

Also, notice that each direction has one lane for cars and one for bikes, in addition to the sidewalk. In the 60's, when they experienced a steady increase in heavy traffic like every large city around the world at that time, they chose this solution instead of building more roads. Pure Genius.

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

I love the simple elegance of this facade and that great little balcony.  It reminded me a lot of the beautiful, restrained elegance of the villas we have here in Munich that I posted about here.

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

I have no idea what this building was, but it was pretty cool!



Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

A post about Copenhagen architecture wouldn't be complete without a houseboat, taking full advantage of the beautiful waterways.  This one was my favorite.

You may have noticed that I didn't feature any doors from Copenhagen. 

I found some gems...but I'm working on another Doorways post from our travels this Summer so I'm going to work them into that post.  Coming soon!

More Copenhagen: Hans Christian Andersen Cafe

Hans Christian Andersen, the famous Danish writer who wrote classics like The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid, grew up in Copenhagen.  My daughter and I read the story of Hans Christian Andersen's life together last year.  It is one of rags to riches, but better:  his was one that was rich in making children's lives more enjoyable.  So, when I found out we were going to Copenhagen, I knew I had to seek out his childhood home.  When I found it, I happily didn't find an over-run touristy spot; instead, I discovered a charming, blog-worthy little cafe! 

Here are a few shots to give you an idea of what it's like.  The inside was also adorable but unfortunately the lighting and tight angles in the little cellar cafe didn't accommodate my photography!

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Great signage that was weathered by the sea air... 

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

A great hat that he was well known for during his lifetime. 

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

The cafe is a few steps down from the street level, but on the back end and up a few steps was this charming little courtyard. 

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

I was loving this statue. 

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Even the tables had great design!

Coming up tomorrow...

The last installment from our trip:  Beautiful Copenhagen Architecture!

Scandinavian Shopping

Next up in my series of posts about our trip to Denmark and Norway is about my shopping discoveries.  Before I dive in though, thank you so much to all of you who wished me a wonderful trip and welcomed me back! It was great to get away but also fun to get back and reconnect with the wonderful community that I am lucky to be a part of!

So, come along with me today on a virtual shopping trip in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Trondheim (Norway) for a few of my favorite shopping highlights - hope you enjoy it!

RueVerte in Copenhagen is a boutique clothing store, cafe and decorating store...what a great combination!  I loved their mix of industrial elements with muted colors which made for a really hip, yet elegantly European, mix.

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

RueVerte

RueVerte

RueVerte

Next up:  Slettvoll in Trondheim.  I had posted about this great store here, but of course it was even better to see it in person!  I got so many great vignette and accessorizing ideas, but also overall I just love the feel they create in their spaces...their Summer collection is a little bit beachy, a little bit Asian, and a whole lot of sophisticated simple style.  I loved it and I couldn't stop snapping pictures. 



Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler



Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler



This simple display was in the courtyard leading to a beautiful shoe store: Scarpa.

Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler

And finally, I was so excited when I just stumbled upon the store for Tom Roussou, whom I blogged about here a while back.  Unfortunately the store was closed, but it was still a fun surprise!



Photography by Barbara Jordan Dettweiler



I'd love to hear if any of these designs appeal to you and if so, which...

please leave a comment if you'd like!

Have a great weekend wherever you are in the world...:)