Period homes which are sympathetically restored to reflect their age and beauty are a joy to behold.
Their designs are many and varied and the feel of the interior will often determine the style and quality of the
finishing touches needed to bring out the true beauty of the building.
Converting a new property to look older with a period interior or restoring a cottage to its former glory is a process which allows a huge amount of creativity - your imagination is the only limiting factor. A well crafted period interior design scheme gives a property a real sense of character, as well as providing a comfortable place to live and a beautiful environment in which to raise children.
It's the little touches which will finish off a broader period interior theme. The small additions and accessories will make your design scheme convincing, and a little attention to detail will pay dividends in the longer term. These accessories include door and window furniture - the kinds of things which are occasionally overlooked in a design theme that would otherwise be flawless.
Since door and window handles come in direct physical contact with the inhabitants and guests of a property, it's important that they look and feel the part. Period interiors will require handles with long, thin backplates to reflect fashions of the past. They should be constructed from highly polished brass, or from silver, and generally have a thin, slightly furl-shaped handle.
If you've decided to go for a doorknob as part of your period interior, rather than a handle on a backplate, the choices are a little more varied. Which doorknob you choose will ultimately depend on which period you're trying to recreate, which room you're decorating, and your budget, and there are knobs available in various different styles.
Porcelain doorknobs are the last word in simple, functional period style, and can add a simple and unfussy feeling to a room. Porcelain doorknobs were virtually ubiquitous in the middle class homes of the pre-war era, and if you want to generate a sense of nostalgia then porcelain may well be ideal for you. The simpler porcelain doorknobs are available from Handles4Doors in a deep black or an elegant white, and there's a traditional gold line design too. For more decorative doorknobs with an eye on the past, try a Chantilly-styled doorknob; the beautiful designs can subtly elevate the sense of age and history in any property.
As with period door handles, brass is a very popular material for period doorknobs. Generally, period brass doorknobs are only available on rose, though there are some available with long back-plates if that's what you need to maintain a consistent theme throughout a property. Period brass doorknobs are either round or oval, and can be decorated with reeded or flowered designs. The flowered design is a little older in terms of design - from the pre-art deco period.
At the top of our range of period doorknobs, there's a delicately facetted ice crystal doorknob which would work perfectly in any period bathroom or kitchen. It's beautifully weighted, and it divides sunlight and scatters it around the room.
In kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, you can continue your period theme with a number of old-fashioned cupboard doorknobs. These vary hugely in design, and your choice will again come down to your design scheme and your budget.
Our line of cupboard doorknobs is a little different from our other types of knobs, as there are interesting and period materials which don't appear in the other lines. Since there are no moving parts in a cupboard doorknob, materials like pewter make a welcome appearance. A little more expensive than other materials like brass or steel, pewter is stylish, tactile, traditional and durable.
Brass and porcelain are the most common materials for period cupboard doorknobs, but there are some beautiful bronze knobs and some steel cage designs inspired by very old fashions. The steel cage designs seem to draw on Gothic traditions for inspiration, while the bronze knobs can trace their history back to classical antiquity.
To establish a sense of tradition from the moment you or your guests get to your front door, decorate your front door with period ornaments. Once again, brass is the order of the day, and you can adorn your front door with a number of matching and complementary period accessories.
The most elegant of front door accessories is the door knocker - which is absolutely essential for any period home. On a large, black door a lion's head holding a large knocking ring would make a bold, traditional statement. For other coloured doors - red in particular - try a smoothly curving urn-shaped door knocker; they're inexpensive, and as the first thing you and your guests will encounter at your house an elegant knocker can make a powerful first impression.
Combining your knocker with other brass accessories, like letter boxes and flaps, as well as eye-catching covered keyholes, doorknobs and doorbells, will make sure that the period theme you're creating remains consistent.
As well as your doorknobs, handles, front-door furniture and cupboard doorknobs, there are a number of subtle little touches you can apply to your home to give it an authentic period character. We supply a number of quality hat and coat hooks that, when attached to a hallway wall or in a bathroom, will amplify to sensation of tradition in your home. With stylish bathroom accessories and period door bolts, you can dress your home in all manner of period accessories, until the building exudes the nostalgic magic of your chosen period.