Surrounded by ancient stone

Once the 'door decision' has been made the next step is to work out how it will present itself.
What better way than an 300 year old door to be surrounded by 'pierre ancien' - ancient stone.
All over Provence are yards that stockpile old staircases, stones, oak and pine floorboards and terracotta tiles of all shapes and sizes. 


Hours can be spent just gaping in awe at the sometimes acres of options. Huge beams ('poutres') lie side by side waiting for a makeover - often ear marked for serious renovation jobs at a local chateaux, bastides, wineries or public buildings - it's often hard to decide which way to turn.


However, this stone surround will make its way to our place and perfectly surround our door - not for a while yet - it will take 12 months to build our 'old mas' ('mas' - French farmhouse). It will be worth worth the wait! (and the work ...)

It starts with a door

A 'porte d'entre' or entry door can set the tone to the whole house.

We found a very run down and damaged door made of 'noyer' (walnut) with hundreds

of years of wear and tear and flaky paint. This wonderful 'porte ancien' is dated from

the 18th Century and was salvaged from an old farm in Cadenet, Provence.

The top of the door has been shaved off, probably to discard rotten bits and over the

years the three iron bars (very decorative with a heart shape at one end ) have ended up on

the wrong side of the door. They are meant to be at the back. What a story this door

could tell of past eras in the 'collines' beyond Aix-en-Provence. 

We have commissioned a local artisan to restore the door and look forward to giving

it a new life as the front door of our home in Provence.