Thank goodness they haven’t yet invented one of these for your home! We would be out of a job.This is a disappearing car door – and I challenge you to see how it works the first time you see it … or even the third time! It really does seem to disappear without a trace the first few times you see this door open.
Did any of you watch Looney Tunes as a child? You know, those incredibly violent cartoons that our grandparents and other childless adults said would turn us all into violent, angry, psycho killers by the time we reached our late teens (We sure showed those GODDAMNED STUPID PRUNES … excuse me ;-) ! Well, it is funny to see that even with the advent of all the new technology we have today, that comedy remains essentially the same, we laugh at the same things, and even door knobs can be funny (not just stylish or inspiring!).
If you can’t watch the video, the man on the left is shown temporarily affixing a door knob to a painted view of a street outside. When another man approaches from the right hand side, he takes the door knob and moves it towards himself as if he was opening a door. The man on the right proceeds to slam face first into the painted view bwa ha hah hahh!
And so concludes today’s lesson on strange, unusual and hilarious ways to use door knobs.
Porcelain door knobs come in so many beautiful and colorful varieties … they are the only door knob medium that you can actually paint on, and the ones that we do have need to be well preserved. Here’s a few tips on how to safely clean and maintain porcelain, and also mineral (clay) door knobs.
The first step is pretty predictable – soft cloth, soap and water. Nothing too fancy though! Dish detergent will do just fine. If it can be easily done, remove your knob from the door for a more thorough cleaning. This is applicable to brass and other metal knobs as well.
Such an ancient style, this knocker and studs on a heavy old wooden door. Despite their obvious age, they are still shaped pretty much like the day they were forged (of course we have to assume a little, since we weren’t actually around. They may have started out life shaped like giant bananas, or something!).
I think the Occupational Safety people may have something to say about having large metal spikes on the front door, though – perhaps this type of traditional hardware is what spawned the saying “Watch where you point that, you’ll put an eye out” … I can imagine that actually happening!
Your brass hardware can last just as long, if you want it to! Check out our brass care and cleaning guide.
Photo credits: 3 knobs by ‘istopcrappics’
Although it is sort of like giving away trade secrets, we felt we absolutely had to include this awesomely detailed, well set-out, clear, concise and above all, useful site in the blog! The BBC’s Homes area contains this very practical page, which details most things that you would want to know about a wide range of period styles, to make your traditional renovation more true-to-form and consistent.They include a range of styles, not just the traditional period styles – and definitely not only English period styles, although the site is, of course, English. Here is the list of decors you can get information on:
• 1920s
• 1930s
• 1950s
• 1960s
• Art deco
• Arts and crafts
• Art nouveau
• Edwardian
• Georgian
• Gothic
• Japanese
• Modernism
• Scandinavian modern
• Scandinavian country
• Shaker
• Victorian
As you can see, there’s a range from the modern to the traditional, and all over the world. If we had our choice, we would have included more of the older styles … the French types of architecture and décor don’t get a look in (I guess you can tell it is an English site in some ways!). However, the styles that they do explore have their innards pulled apart in great detail. You get tips on how to redecorate everything in your home according to a certain style, from floors to ceilings and everything in between!