A while back, a friend of mine had moved house, was doing up the new one and was agonising over her choice of ‘door furniture’. Really? It has a name? That’s just doorknobs to you and me, isn’t it?
Hmmm.
I cast my mind back several centuries to when we newlyweds had moved into our lovely new home. We were doing the usual business of stamping our ownership on the place – and decided in our infinite wisdom that pulling out al the original 1920’s brass doorknobs and replacing them with fake Georgian handles was a simply brilliant idea (#idiots).
I’ve regretted it ever since.
And then a few months ago we managed to snag a total bargain of a welsh dresser on Ebay. It’s going to look GLORIOUS when we’ve stripped it and painted it and replaced the horrid handles door furniture… in our post-purchase excitement we whisked off to find the replacement handles we wanted.
Good grief.
Who knew there was so much choice?
And of course, given that much choice we started to dither… did we want the traditional ones we had initially thought?
Or would those amazing blue porcelain ones look better?
Or maybe the odd-shaped green would be cool?
That way lies madness I tell you.
These Pushka Knobs blue ceramic beauties are £4.25 each form their NOTHS shop…
But it’s not just about the furniture itself – new door knobs can have a weirdly refreshing mood lift on a room. When you’re looking for quick fixes the obvious place to start is changing wall colours and curtains, but don’t forget those doors. Whether it’s on the door in, and therefore the first point of contact for the room inside, or it’s to change the look on a tired chest of drawers, those little door knobs can have a huge impact. Go take a look at yours now – has the finish rubbed off? Do they look cheap? Do you even notice them? Or are they simply dull and uninteresting?
Blogger Lisa Dickinson from Gettin’ By did a magnificent u[cycle job on this dresser – and the whole thing is totally made for me by those oddly mismatched drawer knobs!
This art deco door handle could be a slippery little sucker in the wet… (£22.43)
The you get to think about the fun part – the style. It’s a nice idea to think about age a little – the mock Georgian handles just look a bit ridiculous in our very-1920’s house. But if you’re thinking sideways, then the mad array of styles and colours are doorknob heaven for you.
Siro Splodge Knob in Yellow – £1.43
A century ago knobs were often ceramic or glass, so changing to an antique style can give your home a traditional or nostalgic feel – or you can give contemporary quirk to a traditional room with some fun coloured detail in the handles.
Loving the swirl detail in this glass door knob – £3.99
The finish on the doorknobs is also be important – if you have stainless steel appliances in your kitchen, you may not want to avoid brass knobs, and opt for brushed nickel or steel instead. A contemporary home will look better with door furniture that all carries the same finish, but older and more settled-in homes may look better mismatched.
Doorknobs take a lot of wear, so periodically updating them really helps maintain that fresh feel. You’ll be amazed at how a small feature like door handles can give a really polished finish to your room.
Love this similar antique brass style, and you get to choose between the cream ceramic lever latch (29.99) or the ceramic mortice knob (£22.99).
The choices available to you are endless. If I were you I’d start by heading to your local Door Furniture aisle, and just have a meander up and down. You’ll never know what you’ll find – or where your wildest imagination will take your room when you Embrace The Bold…
