The house with blue shutters

I really don't know why I've become obsessed with shutters, especially faded, gently chipped, aged blue ones. I first realized that the invention of shutters was to "shut out" the heat of the day, and cool of the night, when in Tuscany a few years ago. Nothing excited me more than rising in the morning, pulling the windows in and then throwing open the wood shutters. Of course seeing the stupendous views beyond the windows didn't hurt either. Will have to dig out photos (pre-digital days) of that trip later. Hanging immobile plastic shutters outside American windows isn't really what it's all about!

Again I recall loving their look several years ago when I saw my dream house being built nearby - one of those multi-million dollar McMansions. Not that I would ever want a spread that huge (we cottage gals know what we really love), however it's a stunning French style house with lots of windows, each cozied by a set of gorgeous blue/green real wood shutters, complete with iron hinges and shutter dogs. I drive to this exclusive subdivision every now and then just to stare at this lovely home and the shutters!! Guess this would be an entry for the " 7 weird things about me" list.

While visiting my brother in the Minervois area of the South of France last Summer, I was in heaven - surrounded by blue shutters, most with that aged look. Then during a three day side trip to Provence there were more - here are some pics.

This building "HOTEL DE VILLE" (Town Hall) even had the perfect shutters!
Now these below I could actually view from inside as this is my brother's newly restored (four years of very hard work) 200 year old village house in the Minervois - I'm glad he decided to keep the old shutters. This window looks out onto the front garden. My granddaughter had just as much fun as I did opening the shutters.

Yeah! These are the old shutters I told you about - they were hanging about at SuzAnna's Antiques calling for a window to grace. Now they're hanging in the bedroom on each side of the bay window (yes DH did think I'd gone nuts, however he seems to like them too!), and I have my own version of the perfect faded blue, shabby shutters giving the room a bit of that old village look. I can at least look at them and love their chipped paint and wrought iron "dogs", even though I can't throw them open and see the 9th century Abbey and vineyards (like my brother in France), the olive groves and hilltop castle in Bagno Vignoni Tuscany, or the the red tiled roofs of Cortona, Sienna and Montepulciano in all those wonderful Italian hill towns.

Next project is to paint/age a wonderful old sewing machine table I inherited - going to use it here next to the bed in place of the round one. Also, have a sweet crystal "candolier" to hang in this corner above the table - aging it right now as it's too white. This is one of the pleated chiffon lampshades I made several years ago - can't part with it even though it's pale pink and maybe doesn't fit the new scheme perfectly. Perhaps I can come up with a new trim color!