It is a really cool door knob, isn’t it ;-) !

Okay, sorry about that. Had to get it out of my system.
If you live in an area where your door handles are prone to being frozen, did you know it is a good idea to buy unlacquered brass handles … lacquered handles will soon be affected by all the moisture sitting on them for so long, leaving spots and bubbles on your lever.
And then, you can literally see whether it is cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey! Or at least, a brass handle :-)

Photo credits:  I see Icy by Casey Bump

Nowadays, this locomotive knob is a quaint and rather cute representation of how life used to be like in the olden days. It seems perfectly logical to have it on a door knob – sure it is unusual, but it also creates a traditional sort of character for a house. There are plenty of people that put antiques through their homes for this very reason (we happen to know a few of them!), and if you can’t put an actual steam engine in your living room, why not have the next best thing – a picture of one on your door knob.

But if you think about the knob in the context of when it was minted, this would have been quite a modern train. Then I began thinking, what would a modern train look like on a door knob in the modern world? I don’t know what trains look like where you come from, but where I live they are certainly not built for looks! Then, what other modern sorts of things would you put on a door knob? A computer? Not really photogenic … Mobile phones are almost as bad. CDs and DVDs are not very interesting (although perhaps that is what they were trying to represent in all of those concentric design Regency and Victorian door knobs! They had a vision of the future, and the future was CDs… !) Electrical plugs, modern cars (with the exception of anything made by Corvette), skyscrapers, plastic bags … none really have that je ne sais quois that you need for an elegant door knob, do they?

We do welcome suggestions for modern items to immortalise on door knobs, though!

Photo credits: AntiqueDoorknobs.org

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’

We love this beautiful fox shaped door knob as much for it’s surroundings, and the way they are captured in this photo, as for themselves. The entire shot almost seems like one of those cryptic puzzles, where you have to name things in photos and put them together to make either a different word, or the title of something. Like the shot, and the fox, are trying to tell us something.
Did you notice that the fox has only half come out of the door? Very clever three-dimensional effects…


Photo credits: Startled Fox by Mark Dodds

This very unusual, very striking traditional door knob is Italian (although that information has come through a string of Chinese whispers!). Such an unusual shape, to have either a flattened or concave back half of the knob, and a rounded front half. It makes it seem like a lady’s parasol … albeit with quite warlike, Celtic designs adorning it! It is apparently part of a collection of old hardware, doorknobs and knockers that once belonged to a Teddy Craig … and we would love to see more! We are researching currently, and will keep you posted. Any information you have is always appreciated!

Photo credits: Front Door Knob by Mark Dodds