We saw so many unique and beautiful doors in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and I often wondered what was on the other side. Was the interior as colorful, whimsical, weathered, or artistic as the door would suggest? Although we didn’t get to see inside of many private residences (darn!) the open doors we did see always encouraged us to glance inside.
Most of the doors in this group could have been included in one – or more – of my other Thursday Doors collections (carved, rounded, weathered, adorned), but that each of these were open gave them a unique character.
Don’t forget to head on over to Norm’s blog to view his beautiful collection of doors from Nova Scotia, then click on the blue frog at the end of his post to see what others have shared.
Retirementally Challenged 
Great post
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Hi, Janis – Once again, your photography is absolutely stunning. This time, the ‘door within a door’ was my favourite.
I will definitely be pestering you for photography tips when we meet up!
Thank you, Donna! I really liked the saloon doors… I kept expecting a cowboy to emerge from them 🙂
The teal door with the plants and chairs(?) hung on the walls outside looked very interesting! I also like the ‘saloon’ doors inside the door!
That door was so pretty… funny, though, it led into a storage area which wasn’t so pretty (hence, the angle I had to take the picture from 🙂 ).
New posting idea: “Wednesday Storage Areas!” 😉
Haha! I was wondering what I should post about on Wednesdays…
I love old weathered doors. These are great! The second one is beautiful.
Doors with some weathering are my favorite. Even if I don’t know the story behind them, I love to imagine their history.
The faded color and texture of that second one is just gorgeous. Another great post 🙂
Thank you, Norm. I’m glad the owners of the many weathered doors we saw didn’t feel compelled to sand and paint them. Shiny and new is over-rated in my opinion.
OH! The second teal door with all the green decoration around it! {swoon}
While the weathered door itself is eye-catching, it’s all the embellishments around it that make it pop!
I also liked that mini-door behind the cage-like thing next to the open door. If someone knocked, it could be opened to see who was at the door… it reminded me of that scene in The Wizard of Oz.
Wait! – what? I can’t find any mini door behind a cage-like thing!! What am I missing?!
We were probably talking about different doors… On the last door, to the right of the opened door is a little wire “cage.” Behind the cage is a tiny little door at about eye level.
Ahhh – that explains it 🙂
Somehow weathered doors look so much better in pictures than on my house!
I know, right? We have a slightly “weathered” door right now that I’m sure our neighbors don’t see as charming.
I love the doors with the greenery…so pretty!
Thank you, Jill. We were in San Miguel during their rainy season so the plants were very happy.
The open doors were tantalizing.
I’m a big looky-loo so open doors are hard to resist.
By definition, isn’t an open door an invitation to peek inside???
Great pictures as usual. I love the saloon door within a door!
Thank you. That door was on a corner building and they had another door on the other side with saloon doors too. I would have loved to know the story behind them.
Did anyone seem upset at your occasional glimpsy-lookey-loos into their home via those open doors? Were you discreet and so noone ever knew your secret agenda?!
Haha! I try to be discreet but I’m not always successful. But, as Anne said in her comment, “isn’t an open door an invitation to peek inside?” I think so!
Me, too!
I liked the door with the saloon door inside – how unique and all these weathered doors are just beautiful. I liked the Donkey’s Tail plant in the second picture – my mom used to have one of those many years ago.
I really like succulents and, fortunately, we live in a climate where they thrive. I would love to have a Donkey’s Tail, but I need to figure out where to put it so it can hang down like that.
My mom used to love succulents and our kitchen window had two long planters filled with the small ones. My mom had the same problem with her Christmas cactus and the Donkey’s Tail. You have to be careful that they have room to grow and are in the sun all the time. She had the Donkey’s Tail in a planter that was a woven basket on legs and it had so many of the “tails” hanging down, they’d catch on your clothes when you walked by and break them off. I think she gave it a “haircut” and then put it in the kitchen on the countertop.
That’s one of the many things I love about succulents… most of the time you can just break a part off, stick it in soil, water it now-an-then, and it starts growing again!
I know, and my mom had hers on the kitchen windowsill for years – they had the full sun and were in great shape until I brought home an “Old Man” cactus. She segregated it in another room for a few weeks to ensure it had no issues that would contaminate the others. It appeared okay, and she planted it where one of her other “Old Man” cactuses was looking a little shabby. About a month later she had mites and every day she had to take a Q-tip to each cactus and swab them down with alcohol to kill the mites. I think she wanted to kill me as well. I felt sorry I bought it as it made a lot of work and they didn’t look as healthy, even after she got rid of the mites.
Now that the doors are open, could you grant us a glimpse inside. Beautiful photos as always!
I wish I could, Peter. Often taking a picture from the bright outdoors makes it too dark inside to see anything. I’m pretty sure there were a lot of people drinking on the other side of the saloon doors 🙂
Hi Janis
I’ve surely enjoyed all of your door photos. I recently met someone who has spent time in San Miguel de Allende. He was there during Day of the Dead celebrations. He also noted how colorful and beautiful the area is.
Thanks for sharing your photos. They make we want to travel the San Miguel
Laura
One of these days, I love to be down in Mexico during Dia de los Muertos. Oaxaca has an amazing celebration at that time too. If you do get the chance to travel to San Miguel, let me know… I can give you a few recommendations.
You have a terrific eye for beautiful doors and the symbolism they represent. In this set, I can especially relate to the cantina doors. I just want to barge through and order a Victoria and a shot of tequila.
Yes! Although I never ventured inside, I can imagine what it must have looked like… all dark and smoky and full of atmosphere.
Great thanks for posting this.
I just love the atmospheric feel of these doors and the colours of Mexico.
I hope to visit one day.
I hope you can too. Where we live, it’s so easy to get just about anywhere in Mexico via a short flight. Once we are there, we like to stay a while and take it all in on our schedule… nice and slow.
Goodness that San Miguel de Allende just oozes with charm. Must go! The door within the door is my favorite but really, I would have enjoyed looking though any of them.
Everyone seems to love the cantina doors! I hope you can travel to San Miguel sometime, Lisa. Although there isn’t much water around there, I think the scenery would keep you and your camera quite busy.
What a wonderful idea to photograph open doors, as so many of us have walked by beautiful closed doors, wondering what lies behind. Great photos!
I’m naturally curious so I was always grateful when I was able to peek inside a door that was usually closed… it’s like a little gift.
Just as I am writing to others this week how much I love old and weathered doors I see your beautifully bright doors and remember how much I like these, too! I guess I find them all appealing for different reasons. And many times it is the embelishments that can do it, like the succulent growing over the door in the first photo. Just gorgeous.
I like how once vivid paint gets a lovely patina over the years of weather and use. And, I especially appreciate how the owners of the doors have left them as-is, rather than run out and buy more paint. They seem to appreciate the beauty of natural aging too.
All handsome and unique, but I’m really partial to the last one. I would have liked to watch the craftsmen create that one. 🙂
I imagine it would have taken quite some time to fashion the individual round pieces of hardware, then pound them into the door.
These doors are really beautiful, you really hit the bonanza with all the doors you have posted, Janis! I love the theme of open doors, way cool and so clever!!
There were so many doors that it was hard to choose which ones to feature. I’m glad you are enjoying the series… I have two to go!
Such a colorful, authentic and charming town, and these open doors and their surroundings just confirm that. I’d love to have a peek inside all of them. My guess is that the interior of these homes and rooms were pretty rustic and simple.
Rustic and simple would sure work. I saw inside a couple of artists’ homes and they were anything but simple… but they were beautiful!
Oh the intrigue of an open door. It’s a bit like a ladies blouse sliding off her shoulder….?
Haha! Exactly!
The top one with the lovely complimentary color blocks, trailing vine and black bicycle is my favorite in this collection followed by the next one down with the teal door, green sled, and statuary.
Those were already interesting doors that had embellishments added for even more interest.
What a marvelous way to display the donkey/burro sedum! Love that! I love the turquoise colors that are so prevalent. Each door brings a smile!
We have a lot of succulents in our landscaping but not that one. I need to find the perfect spot to display it first.
All those doors are so weathered and that’s what gives them their charm – in the meantime in Australia we’re all frantically sanding our doors and re-painting them to keep them fresh. Different cultures I guess!
Same thing here. Weathered doors are considered a sign of neglect. I’m not sure what it is about these doors that make them “art” rather than junky.