Wrought iron has produced some of the most beautiful architectural classic pieces around… from tiny escutcheons to the gorgeous Medusa head knocker, wrought iron has a specific look and feel that modern metal does not reproduce. Wrought iron is made by a very specific process. Nowadays, what we call wrought iron is technically worked mild steel. The wrought iron is produced by such a different process that it warranted a second name … although the term ‘wrought’ simply means ‘worked’, and so could apply to nearly any iron product. The process by which wrought iron is currently made...

We may have discovered the origins of nose piercing, in this door knocker at Brasenose College in Oxford, England! This brass door knocker in the shape of a nose dates back to the twelfth century, when there were no celebrities with nose piercing, and the actual process would have been painful, unhygienic, and most likely involved a needle made from the bone of an animal, rather than beautiful shiny surgical steel… While the actual shape of the knocker is more like an abstract, imaginary nose than a realistic one, it was definitely created to look like a nose. The shaping of it is likely a representation...

At least part of the reason that you can find so many beautiful, ornate, handmade and gorgeous decorative lamps, lights and fixtures is the symbolism of light to cultures all over the world. Light is one of those wonderful nouns with a meaning well beyond it’s dictionary meaning – and rare among these words and concepts in that the feelings it conjures for people cross many cultural boundaries. It is a scientific phenomena that creates all sorts of feelings for us, from sleepiness, to comfort, to romanticism, to an occasional terror in its absence. Lights are made from fire, one of the basic...

What a gorgeous, different, outstanding door knocker! It was created by a French sculptor, Emile-Antoine Bourdelle early in the 1900s. Bourdelle believed that history’s best sculptures were those that were integrated with architecture – he would fit right in as a staff sculptor at Architectural Classics! He was born in 1861, and created the Medusa head sculpture four years before his death in 1925 – when his talent had already had a lifetime to fully develop. He was known as an expressionist artist, but his not-strictly-realistic work did not come from a lack of ability in detail. Medusa,...

People have long been able and willing to justify the effort and time taken to create many amazing things in the name of religion and honoring higher powers. This faith and the things it can create are seen in the oddest of spots, including this salt mine in Poland, which houses a chapel with chandeliers that have crystals made of salt! They are a lot more durable than the ice chandelier that we saw in Sweden, and also throw a strange dusky night time light. In the eighteenth century, lead-cut crystal became much more common with the advent of new technologies, and people also found that it made...

If you have, or have found a lamp with a gorgeous base, but a rotting or just plain bad-taste shade, you can re-cover the shade quite easily. We know that those of you reading this blog are antique nuts (it takes one to know one!), and if, like us, you are a perfectionist when it comes to your antiques and furniture, this easy technique should come in handy! You can also match or coordinate your lamp shade with your other upholstery – curtains, tablecloths, cushions, etc with this guide. You’ll need a fabric pencil, paper backed fusible webbing (iron-on backing) and fabric, all available from...

The materials that we here at Architectural Classics get all gooey inside over are the brasses, coppers, and great quality woods made centuries ago. They are from a time where it took twice as many people, much more specialized knowledge, mistake-honed skill and absolutely no machines to make anything! Today, the skill in making the same sort of furnishings for home is in being able to manipulate technology to do amazing and imaginative things – rather than manipulating your own hands to do so. The skill is now in the design rather than the manufacture – so I wonder if Architectural Classics,...

All sorts of architectural salvage pieces can look great in your home – and depending on how you use them, many things can look great in any home, whether your décor is modern to dedicated antiquarian. The key things to remember are that you are not limited by a piece’s original use – you are only limited by your imagination – and just remember to check with the laws of physics records before you start! Here we’ll present for you a condensed version of the parliamentary session on laws of physics for architectural salvage: in ordinary terms, we’re going to do “Replacing Bits of Your...