I have spent the past week soaking up the local colour in Collioure, France. It is a town so full of charm and beauty that we basically threw our planned day trips outside the window and have been enjoying the design, colours, artwork, vistas and locals right there in town.
Collioure, along the Ruby Coast, is so amazing that it inspired vibrant colours to emerge onto the canvases of Matisse and Derain in 1905. This manner of artwork, which lent powerful, unexpected colours, was dubbed fauvism. One of the most charming ways residents adopt art and color here today is via simple potted plants which dot the streetscape; they lineup staircase, sit atop balconies, are perched on tables and chairs, and therefore are mounted directly onto the outside walls.
See ways to add colour to your potted plants with a glance at some of my favorites.
A pink geranium in a ceramic pot tops an orange café chair outside a shop door. The town shops are filled with wonderful local ceramic pieces.
Shattered ceramics make for unique mosaic pots. Red flowers are the pìece de résistance.
Here they line the staircase to an art gallery which has a camera painted a vibrant hue.
You can see how the former vignette fits to the greater streetscape, an inviting street filled with colorful shops and galleries.
Bold lines of colour enliven this stucco wall.
Pops of green rejuvenate old stone walls.
One of my friends wished the laundry point had been empty for her picture, but I think it adds interest for this lovely tiny balcony scene.
Who knew a purple plastic pot could look so great? Another wonderful embellishment seen throughout Collioure is the use of ceramic tile as an architectural detail.
Our one day excursion took us from the Mediterranean shore into the Pyrenees and the town of Céret. This is a town where cubism thrived and a group of famous artists established The Céret Museum of Modern Art; I highly recommend a visit.
Little baskets add dots of green to the building’s facade.
“Exactly why is this crazy American shooting an image of my geraniums?”
Collioure has tropical plants such as this palm and vineyard grapes up the hillsides, however from outside the water, snow-capped mountains are visible in the distance.
This facade has one of the greatest applications of faux bois I have ever seen.
Terra-cotta pots filled with crops create a foundation for wild vines that rise from the bottom up within the roof.
Who needs a vase filled with cut flowers when a simple terra-cotta plant and pot will thrive for much longer?
Try this at home using a begonia or Spanish geranium. If your chairs are a bit more ho-hum than these French bistro chairs, add a white and blue gingham tablecloth.
More:
Charming, Bright Country Home in France
Escape: Off to the South of France
Merchandise Categories: That French Je Ne Sais Quoi