Why so many green doors in Spain?

[JillGat]

I saw so many beautiful green doors while walking the Camino, I ended up with a collection of photos of them. Some are gradually disintegrating, some are repeatedly patched, some are lovingly restored and maintained. They are on houses, barns, fences, churches and horreos. Some are barely held together by scraps with the only purpose of keeping animals in or people out. Others invite you through a gate or into a home.

Mostly green (or.... is it that I started looking for green doors, so that is what I saw?). I am curious if anyone here knows how this trend may have begun; painting doors green.

That being said, I don't know why barns in America are painted that specific rusty red color.

 

[SabsP]

Green is the colour of peace and hope. And also the traditional colour of Islam ( seeing the strong influence of Al Andalus in the history of Spain and later the Mudejar style ).
Well that is my guess of course.
All in all : I love those doors and colours.

 

[Hiawatha]

I often wonder why Dr Who's Tardis is painted blue
Seriously though , they do look good , I noticed the same continuity myself , they emit a peaceful and welcoming aura .
The door to my farm house is also green .

 

[Kiwi-family]

I have a collection of blue doors.
Maybe it’s like in Mongolia where you can buy furniture in any colour so long as it is orange;-)

 

[MinaKamina]

I saw so many beautiful green doors while walking the Camino, I ended up with a collection of photos of them. Some are gradually disintegrating, some are repeatedly patched, some are lovingly restored and maintained. They are on houses, barns, fences, churches and horreos. Some are barely held together by scraps with the only purpose of keeping animals in or people out. Others invite you through a gate or into a home.

Mostly green (or.... is it that I started looking for green doors, so that is what I saw?). I am curious if anyone here knows how this trend may have begun; painting doors green.

That being said, I don't know why barns in America are painted that specific rusty red color.

You must have been collecting green doors. To me, most old doors in Spain are either unpainted wood, or covered many shades of brown paint.

In areas near the sea, what was left of the paint for the fishing boats was also used to paint the wood of the house. Because people were poor. They would mix the paint with oil and this would last very long and protect the wood very well.

 

[Purky]

Traditionally the doors and shutters of farmhouses and barns in the Netherlands are green too. That has to do with the use of the pigment Bremer green, or copper hydroxide. This pigment was mixed with heated linseed oil (the heating process thickened the oil) and produced a paint with a strong copper compound. The result was a very durable paint for outdoor use. No surprise this was popular back in the day: less maintenance.
Over time this old paint tends to discolor to a darker hue as the blue gets more distinctive: the yellow in the paint weakens by exposure to sunlight. A big mistake made in renovations today is to think the recent color of the old paint is the color it used to be. In truth it was a lot greener, but it explains the popularity of darker greens and blue nowadays as "traditional" colors.
And that, I think, is also the explanation for the use of green for doors in my country. It started out as a smart choice because of the strength and durability of the paint, and then it turned into a tradition. I reckon it is the same for Spain.

 

[Purky]

I often wonder why Dr Who's Tardis is painted blue

And as for the Tardis, British police boxes in the 1960's were blue. And they tend to stick out less than a red telephone box, which also has see through windows. That would very much mess up the bigger-on-the-inside-than-on-the-outside bit.

 

[Stivandrer]

As visitors we are merely onlookers to somebody´s everyday ornament and decorative content.
I myself admire every stone wall or well built barn and abode I come across in Spain as my own native country country only have rounded moraine stones in the ground. I find the handiwork fantastic and expressive..
On the Island of Lamu I took photographs of all the decorative carved doors. Ireland has the same colourful doors and painted shop facades as in Spain...
So lets us merely revel in the display, as one day it might disappear into off-the-shelf doors from some timber yard store.
One father made his children ask me how pilgrim life and exploits were like as he said, "we live in Madrid but come here in the holidays and weekends to Granon and have had our grand parents´ house done up".

And the house now had no characteristic identity, and looked just - nice´ish ! of course I did not tell him that ...

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I don't know why barns in America are painted that specific rusty red color.

At the Today I Found Out website is the page "Why are Barns Traditionally Painted Red?"

 

[bernhugo]

Slightly off topic. When I was in Norwaway. I noticed that most houses and all barn doors were painted red.
Was told that the first paint invented was white and that locals used blood from a slaughtered beast (for eating) to colour the paint red.

 

[bernhugo]

Sorry meant Norway.

 

[Harington]

I often wonder why Dr Who's Tardis is painted blue
Seriously though , they do look good , I noticed the same continuity myself , they emit a peaceful and welcoming aura .
The door to my farm house is also green .View attachment 37053

The Tardis is the colour of the old police telephone boxes in England. It IS an old police box.

 

[Stivandrer]

In Sweden the red colour everywhere is iron oxide (Fe 203) . Insoluble but was mixed w water and binder to make a swill ....
As it is mineral and not organic, it will not deteriorate further, in colour or otherwise and will protect wooden surfaces forever. The oxide would be abundant after the insdustrial process left mounds of the stuff...Cobber mines left this as waste product. Merits were that the surface opens for diffusion and allowed the drying of the wood...
The practise with animal blood goes further back, and usually new barn doors would be smeared with blood just after the slaughter and would keep for ages if not forever.
So practicality is the supreme master...
source: http://www.kemifokus.dk/om-svensk-rodfarve/ but alas in Danish...

 

[Purky]

Didn't know about the blood on barn doors, sounds a bit grisly. I do know that animal hair, usually that of horses, was used in plaster (and stucco) to increase strength. Also sometimes white of eggs or animal blood, to slow down the setting of the plaster.

 

[Stivandrer]

ready available raw materials with excellent mileage.
I am myself fascinated with the Adobe building in every stage of decay along the route, shows how excellent a building material it has been and still is ...

 

[Pelegrin]

I saw so many beautiful green doors while walking the Camino, I ended up with a collection of photos of them. Some are gradually disintegrating, some are repeatedly patched, some are lovingly restored and maintained. They are on houses, barns, fences, churches and horreos. Some are barely held together by scraps with the only purpose of keeping animals in or people out. Others invite you through a gate or into a home.

Mostly green (or.... is it that I started looking for green doors, so that is what I saw?). I am curious if anyone here knows how this trend may have begun; painting doors green.

That being said, I don't know why barns in America are painted that specific rusty red color.

Where did you see so many green doors in Spain ?.
The traditional colour for doors in rural Galicia has been brown.
Spain is so diverse that maybe in another region could be green, but I really don´t know where.

 

[DanielH]

I saw so many beautiful green doors while walking the Camino, I ended up with a collection of photos of them. Some are gradually disintegrating, some are repeatedly patched, some are lovingly restored and maintained. They are on houses, barns, fences, churches and horreos. Some are barely held together by scraps with the only purpose of keeping animals in or people out. Others invite you through a gate or into a home.

Mostly green (or.... is it that I started looking for green doors, so that is what I saw?). I am curious if anyone here knows how this trend may have begun; painting doors green.

That being said, I don't know why barns in America are painted that specific rusty red color.

I found the doors in Spain intriguing and fascinating. I took pictures of doors all the way from St. Jean to Santiago and they came in all different shapes and colors, some ornate and some plain, some handcarved, some with great detailed hardware, etc. I hope to put together a book of the doors of the camino some day from all of the photos that I took.

 

[Purky]

I found the doors in Spain intriguing and fascinating. I took pictures of doors all the way from St. Jean to Santiago and they came in all different shapes and colors, some ornate and some plain, some handcarved, some with great detailed hardware, etc. I hope to put together a book of the doors of the camino some day from all of the photos that I took.

Kalee66 has done some great uploads on this forum...

 

[CaminoDebrita]

I saw so many beautiful green doors while walking the Camino, I ended up with a collection of photos of them. Some are gradually disintegrating, some are repeatedly patched, some are lovingly restored and maintained. They are on houses, barns, fences, churches and horreos. Some are barely held together by scraps with the only purpose of keeping animals in or people out. Others invite you through a gate or into a home.

Mostly green (or.... is it that I started looking for green doors, so that is what I saw?). I am curious if anyone here knows how this trend may have begun; painting doors green.

That being said, I don't know why barns in America are painted that specific rusty red color.

 

[CaminoDebrita]

 

[CaminoDebrita]

This was my favorite door, I think.

 

[Kiwi-family]

 

[JillGat]

Where did you see so many green doors in Spain ?.
The traditional colour for doors in rural Galicia has been brown.
Spain is so diverse that maybe in another region could be green, but I really don´t know where.

I have dozens of pictures of green doors in Galicia. I agree that, once you start looking for something, you find it. We go through life with filters like this about many things.

View attachment 37071 View attachment 37072 View attachment 37073 View attachment 37074 View attachment 37075

This is so funny. I have several of these SAME doors photographed.

 

[JillGat]

View media item 7203View media item 7206View media item 7204View media item 7201View media item 7199View media item 7200

 

[JillGat]

View media item 7202

 

[CaminoDebrita]

I love this thread. I love all things green though. Lime lifesavers, kiwi fruit, spinach, trees, green is just an amazing color.

I love doors too. What is going on behind them? The personality behind them is wonderful. Above, the two people talking and slightly bent over with canes with that last door backdrop is such a great photo.

 

[Kiwi-family]

@JillGat the other day I did a quick watercolour of one of my door pictures - looks like it had caught your eye too!
(ignore my incorrect proportions!!)

 

[JillGat]

door

I love this thread. I love all things green though. Lime lifesavers, kiwi fruit, spinach, trees, green is just an amazing color.

I love doors too. What is going on behind them? The personality behind them is wonderful. Above, the two people talking and slightly bent over with canes with that last door backdrop is such a great photo.

Those two men are both in their 90s and were born and raised in that town.

 

[JillGat]

View attachment 37092 @JillGat the other day I did a quick watercolour of one of my door pictures - looks like it had caught your eye too!
(ignore my incorrect proportions!!)

Wow!

 

[trecile]

I really didn't start noticing the green doors until I was in Galicia. Actually after Santiago on the way to Muxia. I only took pictures of two:

 

[JillGat]

This is so great, to see other pics people took!View media item 7218View media item 7217View media item 7216

 

[JillGat]

Okay, two more and that's all!View media item 7208View media item 7205

 

[trecile]

Next time, I'm paying a lot more attention to the doors!

 

[VNwalking]

Very nice photos, everyone! And I was astonished to find that I have none of my own except this one. I tend to fixate on gates instead. So gee, thanks, Jill. Now I feel the need to retrace my steps while paying better attention.

 

[Bradypus]

Perhaps there are many Galician fans of Shakin' Stevens?

 

[HedaP]

 

[Pelegrin]

In my area North- Center of Galicia fifty yers ago the house doors had the original colour of the wood. Some horreos and barns were painted mostly in red, blue or grey.
I din´t know that in some areas of Galicia they had preference for green.
Maybe someone started, probably in the coast, with this colour and the custom spread around.

 

[hel&scott]

Good to see so many well informed artist or should that be chemists have answered the mysteries behind green doors, red barns and blue police boxes. There is a great book on the history of colours and where pigments were sourced from, my copy is very battered as I took it to read on a Camino. You know when a book is precious when you are prepared to carry it thousands of kms and bring it home safe.

 

[DanielH]

I saw so many beautiful green doors while walking the Camino, I ended up with a collection of photos of them. Some are gradually disintegrating, some are repeatedly patched, some are lovingly restored and maintained. They are on houses, barns, fences, churches and horreos. Some are barely held together by scraps with the only purpose of keeping animals in or people out. Others invite you through a gate or into a home.

Mostly green (or.... is it that I started looking for green doors, so that is what I saw?). I am curious if anyone here knows how this trend may have begun; painting doors green.

That being said, I don't know why barns in America are painted that specific rusty red color.

Loved the doors all along the Camino.

 

[DanielH]

 

[DanielH]

and then there are church doors. Love them too

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Here in Castilla-Leon there are so many green and blue and brown doors, because those are the paint colors that are sold pre-mixed. They are cheap and widely available in any hardware store. You want something else, you have to pay extra for it.
This is why my house is painted ochre yellow. It not only fits beautifully into the landscape around here, it´s also dirt cheap and easy to find and match!
(Not sure just why they settled on green, blue, white, ochre, and brown. Maybe those were just the local pigments, handed down through the ages. Some really thrifty people still buy buckets of white, and tint them themselves... or they use tempera powder paint. And then there are the hardcore, who make their own whitewash!

 

[Kazza57]

I have dozens of pictures of green doors in Galicia. I agree that, once you start looking for something, you find it. We go through life with filters like this about many things.


This is so funny. I have several of these SAME doors photographed.

So do I, I love my photos of old doors on the Camino.

 

[Icacos]

Thank you to all who have posted pictures of these beautiful old treasures. I didn't take many pictures of doors, but I did manage to catch an original old key still in use. I believe this was in Hospital de Orbigo.

 

[VNwalking]

Here in Castilla-Leon there are so many green and blue and brown doors, because those are the paint colors that are sold pre-mixed. They are cheap and widely available in any hardware store. You want something else, you have to pay extra for it.

And there I was imagining something more profound. A while ago on a trip home to Hawai'i, I had read and loved this article with a story wrapped around window colors in Brittany, and that colored my thoughts.
But the reality? No deeper meaning to ochre or green or blue - just simple practicalities of cost and availability.
I love it when I'm wrong like this. Deeper meaning isn't always there.

 

[Icacos]

..... Ireland has the same colourful doors and painted shop facades as in Spain...

A few years ago, a friend and I had the pleasure of visiting Ireland. We noticed the many splendidly coloured doors. One of our guides told us that upon the untimely death of her much loved husband, a certain English queen ruled that all the front doors in her realm be painted black. The result was the brightly coloured doors we see today.

Some people do like a good story.

Below: Some Irish doors.

 

[Ribeirasacra]

Green doors? It is not called green Spain for nothing.
Tardis; explanation as to why it was a Police box.
What is a Police box?

 

[Billy Buell]

I saw so many beautiful green doors while walking the Camino, I ended up with a collection of photos of them. Some are gradually disintegrating, some are repeatedly patched, some are lovingly restored and maintained. They are on houses, barns, fences, churches and horreos. Some are barely held together by scraps with the only purpose of keeping animals in or people out. Others invite you through a gate or into a home.

Mostly green (or.... is it that I started looking for green doors, so that is what I saw?). I am curious if anyone here knows how this trend may have begun; painting doors green.

That being said, I don't know why barns in America are painted that specific rusty red color.

So do I, I love my photos of old doors on the Camino.

Don't know about the green doors but the reason barns in America are that red color is because mixing iron oxide with linseed oil for paint coloring was a common practice. This made the red color.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

They had a sale on paint. There was more green than other colours.

 

[leichecerca]

View attachment 37061

This was my favorite door, I think.

me too me too! i photographed this same fascinating door in Estella, just across the way from the Cathedral.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

A few years ago, a friend and I had the pleasure of visiting Ireland. We noticed the many splendidly coloured doors. One of our guides told us that upon the untimely death of her much loved husband, a certain English queen ruled that all the front doors in her realm be painted black. The result was the brightly coloured doors we see today.

Some people do like a good story.

Below: Some Irish doors.
View attachment 37126 View attachment 37127

Never take the word of anybody who has kissed the Blarney Stone!
In a lot of fishing villages the front doors are the same colour as the houseowner's fishing boat. My cousin was told that this was so that, if a boat drifted away, it would be easy to find the owner. She still half believes it!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

They had a sale on paint. There was more green than other colours.

And that's why you see a lot of grey in naval dockyards . . .

 

[Icacos]

Never take the word of anybody who has kissed the Blarney Stone!

Yes, I figured that out early on!

In a lot of fishing villages the front doors are the same colour as the houseowner's fishing boat. My cousin was told that this was so that, if a boat drifted away, it would be easy to find the owner. She still half believes it!

Me thinks your cousin is having you on.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Here is one of mine:

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Yes, I figured that out early on!

Me thinks your cousin is having you on.

No, she really IS that gullible - I remember her dad sending her down to the ironmongers for a "long weight" - she'd still be there if the shopkeeper hadn't taken pity on her.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Never saw a single green door on any of my Caminos - saw lots of brown ones though (the curse of being colour blind - thank you mother!)

 

[Lexicos]

Don't know why green, but I sure do like them.

 

[Don Camillo]

"With an open heart and quiet mind there are no door's". I saw this on either a door or window of a house in Herrerias, at the bottom of the "hill" on the way up to O'Cebreiro on the CF. It made the journal so gave me something to think about on that long slog to the top.
Don.