Iron – it is far more than that thing in the back of the wardrobe that you occasionally use to straighten your clothes! (or that you never use to straighten your clothes, if you are like some that I know :-). You’ve probably also noticed that it is one of the more common metals for making awesome traditional door hardware, and has been for centuries. It is prized for its strength and variety of applications, and also because it is so plentiful. So, if you have had the good taste to choose a piece of iron door furniture from us, here’s a little about the namesake of the ironman… Iron is...

For arbitrary reasons that the metal itself would probably find most amusing (were it able to giggle!), gold is one of the most valuable metals worldwide. Most societies have a fascination with it, it is used as a universal measure of worth, and many a person has lost their life over this soft, heavy, shiny old metal. You may have some gorgeously decadent door furniture made of the infamous material – and if you do, here is the story of its history and family! Amazingly, a single gram of gold can be beaten into a sheet as large as a square meter – if you wanted to floor your house with gold,...

For those of us not growing up in a country where nickel could buy you lollies at the milkbar on a Saturday, you may not have been introduced to this metal until now! Nickel is a very popular choice for traditional door hardware … but why? And wherefore? And how come? Nickel is chemically close to iron, and is produced in the universe by much the same forces. Along with iron, it is formed by much smaller and lower temperature stars than other metals (read: less heat and energy, on Earth!), and as such is very common in meteorites … and in the Earth’s crust, where anybody might pick it up...

For a gorgeous metal, brass has gotten a bad rap over the years. In Hush, Little Baby, if the diamond ring turns to brass, papa will have to buy a looking glass instead (as if that is better than a diamond on a brass ring!) . The word brassy is used to describe hair that is obviously not a natural blonde … and not in a complimentary way! And if you are bold and brassy, then you are cheap and just a little bit unsavoury. But brass has been a staple of life for centuries – and we think that ‘unsavoury’ really just means ‘more interesting!’. The beautiful nearly-gold colour of the metal...

Poor old copper – it’s very name is a insult in some circles. Although admittedly not in the most refined and sophisticated circles! But no matter what circle, square, triangle or otherwise you move in, if your period style home favours copper furnishings and infrastructure, we’ve put together a handy reference guide for the metal – its history, personality type, care and uses. Copper is uncommon among building metals, in that it is one of the few ‘pure’ metals used in building. Alloys are usually favoured over ‘pure’ metals (those made up of only one element), because why would...

If door knobs had a god, Architectural Classics would be at church every Sunday… there is, however, the next best thing. Janus is the Roman god of doors and doorways, as well as beginnings and ends. He is easily recognisable, as he is always depicted with more than one face – usually two, looking in either direction. Earlier representations of Janus showed him with four faces … can we draw the conclusion then that revolving doors were in use much before swinging ones, do you think? Janus was, in his time a very versatile and much worshipped god. Doors have a beautiful romance and symbolism,...

The Story Begins … At Architectural Classics, we love history … obviously! The opportunity recently came up to piece together some historical puzzles, return some history to its rightful spot, and look at some gorgeous photos of ancient Welsh architecture in the process. You can imagine the feeling in the office! We haven’t even needed coffee this week. It is a twisted tale indeed, but here is the story of this imposing, strong and masculine chandelier. Starting at the start … St Donat’s castle in Wales was built at a time unknown (how romantic :-), but the parts of it still standing...

The James Gibbons foundry is a very famous foundry in the UK, and it is really fascinating to read about the people and processes on the frontline of creating some of the architectural classics in our collection (albeit the newer pieces). We often look at how things are used, what you can do with them in your own home, and the weird and wonderful ways people reinvent old concepts – but it has been rare that we’ve looked at how things were actually made, and how these pieces began their life. The James Gibbons products will be our bread and butter in a hundred years time, but are quite classic...

Brass is one of the more common materials for your old home’s furnishings and hardware to be made of. Back in the day (when your grand dad was but a twinkle in his pop’s eye), it was the cheapest, most readily available and most suitable metal for creating these pieces. Coincidentally, it also looks lovely when it is aged! Shiny new brass can look a little bit like it came from a thrift store, or was just the cheap option when you went to the furniture store to replace your door handles, your knockers or your latches. The other thing about getting brass objects which are new and shiny is that...