Look Up in Descartes...

The rather loud frontage of the hair salon on rue du Commerce in Descartes makes it easy to look straight ahead and miss what is above. Look up, though and the upper floors reveal a much more restrained façade, with elegant windows, ironwork balconies and carefully carved stone detailing. It is a good example of why the 'Windows and Balconies' series looks beyond the obvious at street level.

“Through every window,Touraine breathes — calm, patient, and quietly luminous.”

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Part of the “Windows of the Loire” Series

Each Wednesday, we share a glimpse of the Loire Valley through its windows — small frames of everyday beauty and quiet reflection.

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Windows & Balconies of the Loire: Le Petit-Pressigny

A window that doesn't quite look like a window in Le Petit-Pressigny. The figures appear to be standing behind the glass, but this is a painted scene set into the opening of the building housing Les Chambres de l'Aigronne.

It also brings to mind a curious piece of French history: the window tax.

Introduced in 1798, the contribution des portes et fenêtres was one of France's "four old" direct taxes. It was calculated according to the number and size of doors and windows opening onto streets, courtyards and gardens. The reasoning was that the number of openings provided a visible indication of a property's wealth.

The tax remained in place until 1926. It became notorious because it encouraged some owners to reduce the number of windows in their buildings, while existing openings were sometimes blocked up. The tax was even described by critics as an "impôt sur l'air et la lumière", a tax on air and light.

So, nearly a century after the tax disappeared, we find a window in Le Petit-Pressigny that is there purely for appearance.

“Through every window, the Loire breathes — calm, patient, and quietly luminous.”

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Part of the “Windows of the Loire” Series

Each Wednesday, we share a glimpse of the Loire Valley through its windows — small frames of everyday beauty and quiet reflection.

See more from Experience Loire

© Experience Loire — Windows of the Loire · Back to Home

Windows on a building of character in Blois.

The streets of Blois can occasionally reveal an architectural style quite different from the town's famous château. This late 19th-century townhouse combines red brick, carved stone and colourful glazed tiles in a design that reflects the craftsmanship of its period.

It's a fine example of how everyday homes can possess some of the character as the grand buildings for which the Loire Valley is renowned.

Blois experienced a building boom at the end of the 19th century, and many new homes were influenced by the fashionable Art Nouveau movement and regional architectural styles. Decorative glazed ceramic tiles, like those on this façade, were both ornamental and practical, adding colour while helping to protect the brickwork from the weather.

“Through every window, the Loire breathes — calm, patient, and quietly luminous.”

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Part of the “Windows of the Loire” Series

Each Wednesday, we share a glimpse of the Loire Valley through its windows — small frames of everyday beauty and quiet reflection.

See more from Experience Loire

© Experience Loire — Windows of the Loire · Back to Home