When I moved into my house, the old part of the house had beautiful patina’d unlacquered brass knobs and door hinges that had been painted over (why do people do this?). I restored the knobs by boiling them in a designated pan solely for this project with some dish soap (for about an hour). Once I removed them from the pan and scraped off the paint, I coated them in a baking soda, lemon juice, and water mixture. After letting that sit for a while, I scrubbed the knobs, rinsed them off, and let them dry. Once dry, I buffed them with steel wool (while wearing dish gloves). They now look AMAZING, if I do say so myself. I’m replacing the corresponding hinges on the downstairs doors to match the unlacquered brass knobs because they are EXPOSED and I cannot stand the sight of painted over brass hinges or (gasp) guests seeing them. Upstairs, the hinges aren’t exposed and are in guest rooms, so they are staying painted (ew) for now.
My refurbished brass knob (excuse the area around the knob that hadn’t been touched up with paint yet, yes, I did that too)
And the journey doesn’t stop there. The renovated half of my house had silver door levers (and in a satin finish) in close proximity to my unlacquered brass (across the hall, next to each other- head explosion) I labored over. In my opinion, interior door hardware should be in the same family; therefore, my interiors knobs are all going to be unlacquered brass. And this summer, I’ve had enough and ordered three replacement door knobs and hinges to rectify the situation. I went with these nostalgic hardware knobs for my powder room (privacy) and laundry room (passage) and this emtek lever for my bedroom. And I’m super happy with them!
All these new knobs got corresponding hinges. The hinges aren’t unlacquered, but polished, so I might have messed up on that front, but won’t know until they age if I hate it. I’m already running an aging experiment on an extra hinge so I have a plan for if/when that day comes. But according to Google AI, polished brass hinges with unlacquered door knobs is a “classic combination” and “creates a visually appealing contrast and adds character to your doors.” I’m also telling myself it’s less maintenance than unlacquered brass and I might like the modern take on a classic. Welcome to my mental gymnastics.
By the way, rules are meant to be broken. This is my personal preference. My interior doors are all going to be unlacquered brass, but my exterior doors are already oil rubbed bronze, and I’m ok not changing those door knobs. BUT they don’t have matching hinges, which makes me a bit nuts. I go back and forth with changing them to match because exterior doors are a pain in the ass/scare me a little bit (I don’t need an uneven door letting water and bugs in). And some of these hinges won’t be seen after I get curtains for my french doors, so that solves that door right? Or am I being lazy? I also wouldn’t go as cheap on the hinges for exterior doors as I did for the interior doors; I would call in the tride and true Baldwin hinges, which isn’t cheap when you need 12 of them. I also don’t like my exterior doors, so I’m now on one about them and replacing them, which isn’t happening.
**I highly recommend learning about all the parts to a door, because it’s a LOT. There are mortise locks (require a key or thumb turn- these are all over my house and I had to rig the system to replace knobs without replacing the entire mortise), privacy spring latches (what you mostly see now with new interior knobs), rosettes (love these and have them in my own home), strike plates (I bought each of these as options to replace old worn out ones and they look great), and the various types of knobs (dummy, passage, and privacy). And various lock additions. For example, in my guest bathroom, I am avoiding replacing the entire mortise which would require replacing the knob and potentially rosette as well for hundreds of dollars for one door (yes, even if I didn’t go high end) and instead I’m going to add this locking mechanism without having to replace everything! I’ll let you know how it goes!
Here are this week’s interior finds. . .
1. Caspia Paperweight 2. Brim Bowl 3. Dana Small Designs Flower Row Quilt Pool 4. Morocco Star Side Table 5. Summer Cloud- Pedestal Table 6. Fleurs du Vent Printed Handkerchief 7. Hand-Blown Crystal Wine Glasses- Set of 2 8. Clear Stackable Storage 9. Flora Tall Candlestick, Set of 2 10. 2 Pack Cordless Table Lamp, Portable LED Desk Lamp 11. Wave Candle Holder 12. Tennant Aged Brass Pendant Light
13. Demi Accent Stool 14. Poppy Rattan Waste Paper Bin 15. Handmade Tall Mug 16. Geo Round Open Bookend (set of 2) 17. Malachite set of 4 gold-plated porcelain dessert plates 18. Bianco Salad Bowl 19. Bloom Blanc Art 20. 16 Piece Stainless Steel Flatware Set 21. Cushion Chequer Blues Pillow 22. Enamel Pen Pot 23. Anna Bracket 24. Natalia Wall Sconce 25. Starlie Flush Mount 26. Wave Travel Porcelain Tumbler 27. Floral Serving Platter 28. Soane Linen Lampshade
29. Lilly Claret Red Rug 30. Ora Dining Table 31. Wooden Storage Box 32. The Seraglio Bowl 33. Talia Cordless Accent Lamp 34. Adjustable Cylinder LED Spotlight 35. The Marlow Mug 36. Double Armed Brass Candle Holder 37. Tiger Velvet Cushion 38. Vintage Mid-Century French Chandelier 39. Scallop Jute Misty Blue Rug 40. Wastepaper Basket 41. Zig Zag Shelf
Here are this week’s fashion finds. . .
1. The Boxy Crew 2. Jersey Midi Skirt 3. Stratus Short in Linen 4. Classic Tank 5. Starlight Nylon & Glitter Sneakers 6. Primavera Drape Skirt 7. Aurora Pull on Pants 8. Essential Slub V-Neck Tee 9. Canvas and Faux Leather Tote Bag 10. Interlock Cotton Elevator Dress 11. Super-star distressed metallic leather and suede-trimmed zebra-print calf hair sneakers 12. Bomber Puffer Jacket
13. Tahlia Cornflower Ramie Midi Dress 14. Sailor Silk Knit Cardigan 15. Cest La Vie Tee 16. Everett Mini Dress 17. Fern Satin Short 18. Pierra Skirt 19. Raya Cobalt Pants 20. Kealy Rib Cardigan 21. Florence Black Sleeveless Cotton Midi Dress 22. Beverly Bitter Choc Spot Linen Midi Dress 23. Margo Sleeveless Maxi Dress
24. Tinsley Straw Hat 25. Polly Sporty Jelly Sandals 26. The Waterside Ruffle Rash Guard 27. Tote Canvas 28. 100% Cotton Sarong 29. Marni Bag 30. Crinkle Classic Square Neck Tank One Size One Piece Swimsuit 31. Basket Verde 32. Julipa Kimono Zebra 33. Sun Bum Original SPF 30 Sunscreen Scalp and Hair Mist 34. Visor Embroidered Logo 35. Theo Fish Clutch 36. Dolce One Piece
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Current Obsessions
-25 Gardens across the world I want to see!
-Look at this amazing house in Kentucky!
-Marika Meyer’s stunning house.
**DEAR STYLE SNACKS: If you have something you need help finding, troubleshooting, or are curious about, please leave me a comment or send me a message, and I will be sure to feature your question (with the answer) in an upcoming newsletter.**