A weathered mint-green door against a pastel-blue wall

by Monique Tekstra-van Lochem

An old mint-green wooden door set against a pastel-blue wall in Chefchaouen, Morocco. The cracked paint, rusty door knocker and weathered wooden planks lend this distinctive entrance a unique charm. An image in which it is precisely the imperfections that define its beauty.

The door is painted in a soft shade somewhere between mint green, light turquoise and greyish blue. Over the years, the paint has cracked and flaked off in various places, revealing the original wood and rust-brown details. Rows of round decorative metal nails follow the arched shape of the door. Above it is a narrow opening with iron bars.

The surrounding façade consists of rough plasterwork in various shades of pastel blue, lavender blue and cobalt blue. Here too, the traces of time are visible in cracks, damage and layers of paint.

I photographed this authentic door in the medina of Chefchaouen, the famous blue-painted town in the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco. What draws me to places like this is not perfection, but rather the character that emerges from people living there year after year.

The soft pastel shades and weathered materials give this architectural photograph a vintage feel that suits a wabi-sabi, Scandinavian, rustic or Mediterranean interior perfectly. The combination of mint green, powder blue, lavender and subtle rust-brown accents pairs beautifully with natural materials, light wood and warm neutral colours.

A characterful piece of wall art for lovers of Morocco, old doors, pastel colours and the beauty of imperfection.