Shiny and black: Doors on London’s Park Street

A passerby checks his phone in front of an elegant London doorway.

When you travel, walking the neighborhood near your hotel is one way to get a feel for how people really live.  And, if doors are any indication of the people inside the homes in the Mayfair section of London, we could expect to meet some very British residents, comfortable in their formality.

Ornate door, London’s Park Street

Touches of gold with black: London door

Impressive stonework around an arched doorway

Doors on Park Street reveal some things in common:  Almost all are beautiful, and almost all are coated with high gloss, black paint.  Park Street doors reminded us of quaint London taxis bearing shoppers on Bond Street and those ever-popular (at least in the States) glossy boots by Hunter, the brand that outclasses almost all other rain gear on the market today.  Park Street doors are the ultimate chic, if you will, in this quiet neighborhood in the Mayfair section. And the color hints at lineage or status — the color not of royalty, perhaps, but of understated elegance that would never dare to scream, “Notice me!”

Who wouldn’t want to turn the knob, walk in, and see what’s behind any one of these doors?

London black door flanked by columns

Light from windows makes this door glow.

Brass adornments and topiaries set this door apart from the others.

Elegant inset door makes for a fine entrance.

Glass paneled door decorated for Christmas

Checkerboard doorstep leads to this elegant door with central knob

With so many types of doors surrounded by entryways worthy of ambassadors (and some live here!), a walk in the Mayfair section of London may be in order.  It’s a place where variety reigns but uniformity is the gold (or, should we say, black) standard for doors.

For more doors, check out Norm Framton’s site: Thursday Doors, January 12, 2017.  It’s a welcome site to see!