Penang Shutters

This is a lovely example of a renovated shophouse in Penang with beautiful wooden window shutters and ornate wall moldings to maintain the heritage style of the building. Again you can see the use of the traditional blue wall paint made from a natural dye from the indigo plant.

Blue Indigo Window

This blue coloured shuttered window was photographed in Lorong Stewart in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. The back streets and lanes of Georgetown are great to wander through to view old historical and heritage houses. I particularly like windows and doors and this window was a great example of that run-down, dilapidated and decaying style that I like in these Asian buildings. You can make out a blue colour in the surrounding walls as well as on the window shutters and this was a very typical colour used in the colonial period. The distinctive blue colour is made by mixing lime with the natural blue dye made from the indigo plant and this dye was imported from India during those days.

Barcelona Balconies

These beautiful balconies were seen in the La Rambla district of central Barcelona, Spain. The ornate ironwork, wall murals and painted shutters all add up to architectural  perfection.

The Barri Gòtic ("Gothic Quarter" in Catalan) is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. Many of the buildings date from medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Catalan modernisme architecture (often known as Art Nouveau in the rest of Europe), developed between 1885 and 1950 and left an important legacy in Barcelona. A great number of these buildings are World Heritage Sites. Especially remarkable is the work of architect Antoni Gaudí, which can be seen throughout the city. His best known work is the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, which has been under construction since 1882, and is still financed by private donations. As of 2007, completion is planned for 2026.

Green Door and Shutters

Ipoh is a wonderful historic city to wander through with many of the streets exhibiting some classic old shophouse architecture. This brightly painted house down a side lane stood out against the crowd with the bicycle parked outside setting this off and resulting in a timeless image.

Windows

Windows are a favourite composition of mine. The variety of designs, frames, shutters, colours and settings along with accompanying ornaments, flowers, type of glass and wall designs are endless. And of course there is always the possibility of a tantalising glimpse inside the window.