Blanc cassé

I'm not quite sure why, but I love the expression blanc cassé, broken white, off white. It conjures up images of broken egg shells, delicate creamy meringues with soft peaks. White, with the hard edges smoothed down. In certain lights darker colours are made to look lighter, and likewise bright whites can look darker, blanc cassé. 

As we're expecting more snow this week I thought I'd gather together photos I've taken which are essentially monochrome, blanc cassé, like snow in a city. 

The Sacré Cœur on a grey day is no longer bright white but a blanc cassé that blends in with the sky.

When not a khaki green, the bark of Paris plane trees can be a chalky off white.

Then of course there is faded and aged white paint.

The Eiffel Tower looks blanc cassé on a bright sunny day.

Objects at the  marchés aux puces, flea market.

Parisian, Montmartoise chalky stone.

Camels! (Les Lelanne)...

...housed in the musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

The light in the magnificent  Tadao Ando Meditation Space at UNESCO, Paris, transforms the grey concrete to a delicate blanc cassé.

Christmas lights can even be blanc cassé.

Red trees? Not so much.