I recently came across this picture immediately above of a beautiful front door. I looked at it closely because it was so unusual; the door colour matched its surrounding colour exceptionally well. More than that, however, it immediately made me curious about the people who lived behind the door. What type of people were they, to have such an appreciation of beauty, of hospitality, and of mystery? After all, this didn’t happen by accident….and this was certainly not a shy display, trying to avoid notice. Instead, it was a statement.

The power of that statement stuck with me, so I looked up images of doors online. There were many beautiful images, and what’s interesting is that some cities seem to “do” doors much better than others. Dublin, London and San Francisco came to mind, and many others from across the world. But very few from Australia. There are beautiful doors (and houses) all over the nation– but where does beauty show up on a regular basis? Most often, in the older parts of our cities, when housing was made for people to live in.

So, I went for a walk in my local area to see if that idea held true…and it did. While some doors I saw had some level of design in them (patterns, or glass panels), virtually all of them were of standard timber or painted in neutral colours. I live in a fairly new suburb; 15 years ago, this area was farmland. And while the housing differs a fair bit, much of what has been built is off-the-plan, mass -market stuff. Broadly speaking, it’s been built to keep material costs down, or whether it otherwise (in terms of size) screams “Look at me – I’m successful!”

I think a large part of this has to do with the Australian view of property as an investment vehicle rather than as housing – and indeed, rather than as part of a broader community. After all, if you don’t plan to live somewhere for long, or you’re just going to rent it out, then why bother with beauty? Likewise, if you only perceive housing through a financial lens, then you want it to be as bland as possible, to appeal to the largest number of potential buyers.

Since the 1980’s, building materials have become much more varied and widely available, and together with the financialization of the housing market, it’s now possible to houses build in volumes unimaginable 40 years ago. There have also been many TV shows in the past 20 years, all of which basically play to the desire of keeping up with the Joneses. But there is zero talk in these shows of neighbourhood amenity, or the creation of a sense of place, which is why the houses on these shows – and the ones constructed by the mass market builders – reflect a sameness in most outer suburbs across Australia. The same goes for the majority of commercial and office buildings.

Some cities (Paris, I’m looking at you!) literally make a living off the stories they tell about themselves, regardless of the reality of living there. Many other places don’t have stories; or more accurately, they do, but the people living there have forgotten how to tell them, because they are so used to the idea that only certain places matter. That reflects upon how the suburb is perceived – including by those who actually live there.

Choosing the right front door colour for its surroundings adds not only to the beauty of the house, but also to that of the street. When a range of houses have coloured doors, it has a cumulative effect on broader amenity. I think many outer suburbs lack colour because we aren’t aware of what it does for us. Given that many of us put away artistic expression as soon as it drops out of the school curriculum, this fear of colour, and who is “allowed” to use it, is a tragedy. And it is cultural confidence, perhaps more than anything else, that separates the hip places from those that are not.

But a good way to start to create our own stories is by painting our front doors…..

What do you think?