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A vintage door handle helps enhance the retro style of your interior. A vintage atmosphere comes from combining various objects with an old-fashioned look, such as rustic furniture, a cast-iron stove, porcelain ornaments and other decorative accessories. The handle or knob adds that essential finishing touch.
Go for an all-over vintage look by fitting the same knob-style handle to your kitchen entrance door and the drawers of your kitchen furniture. Or opt for subtle vintage touches with an antique-style iron espagnolette bolt or one with a bronze finish. You could also fit a porcelain knob with a star pattern to the kitchen door and a drawer of your Formica furniture!
What is vintage style?
“Vintage” is an English word derived from the French “vendange”, meaning grape harvest. It is associated with a wine’s year of production and the finest harvests destined to age into great wines.
Vintage style celebrates objects dating from the 1930s to the 1970s. It gives new life to clothes from our grandparents’ wardrobes, rotary telephones, old wooden coat racks and antique furniture, such as a marble-topped bedside table or a 1950s-style chest of drawers with nickel-finish locks.
More broadly, the term vintage describes second-hand pieces that we take pleasure in putting in the spotlight.
Vintage style is making a strong comeback in interior décor. What a pleasure it is to find a lovely piece of furniture at a flea market and breathe new life into something from the past! Pay attention to every detail by completing your retro décor with vintage door handles!
What shape should you choose for a retro interior door handle?
Most retro door handles are mounted on round roses. Old-fashioned or rustic-style door handles tend to be curved and rounded. Rounded shapes suit a retro setting well.
A retro handle can also be mounted on a rectangular rose or take the form of a round door knob. Retro style comes in many forms, and pairing it with classic furniture, such as an antique wardrobe or vintage chest of drawers, will bring out its retro character!
The vintage interior handle: a striking decorative accessory
Creating a vintage atmosphere means paying attention to every detail. Choose your door hardware to complement the rest of your furnishings: match your door handles with the handles on your rustic furniture and the knobs on cupboards and drawers… Vintage door knobs are very much in style.
Choose handles to suit each room, too. A handle with a protective backplate is useful in the kitchen. For a study, you might choose a vintage handle with a keyhole rose. An aged iron or brass knob could go on the kitchen door, while nickel handles could be fitted to the drawers of a chest of drawers. In short, opening and closing doors is no longer a door handle’s only purpose!
Thanks to the talent of designers, the vintage door handle has become an essential piece of hardware for enhancing a home’s retro feel.
How do you choose the right vintage or retro door handle?
Whether it’s a window espagnolette bolt, a cabinet door knob, a front door handle or a handle for any other interior door, a vintage door handle is perfect for enhancing your décor’s retro style. Easy to fit with a simple screwdriver and a little wrist strength to tighten the fixing screws into their holes, your decorative accessory will be ready to enjoy in minutes!
Choose handles to suit each room, too. A handle with a protective backplate is useful in the kitchen. For a study, you might choose a retro handle with a keyhole rose. An aged iron or brass knob could go on the kitchen door, while nickel handles could be fitted to the drawers of a chest of drawers.
The shape of vintage interior door handles
Most vintage door handles are mounted on a round rose. Vintage door handles tend to have a curved, rounded shape.
Square door handles and rectangular handles are often associated with modern style. Handles on a concealed rose or without a backplate have a distinctly futuristic look. Rounded shapes are a much better match for a vintage setting.
Materials used for vintage handles
Designers who create vintage door handles have a few favourite materials. Brass is their preferred choice for making quality handles. It is ideal because its golden patina perfectly captures the look of bygone days. Iron and bronze work beautifully too. The glass handle (or crystal handle) and the marble handle add a touch of classic chic! Of course, traditional door knobs are still available in white porcelain or painted ceramic.
Zamak door handles are also often used to create vintage interior handles. Stainless steel, nylon and aluminium are more commonly used for modern handles.
Finishes for vintage-style retro interior door handles
A handle’s appearance plays an undeniable part in the style it creates. Vintage style often brings to mind brown and copper tones. For handles, matt gold, bronze, matt black, leather and even rust-effect finishes immediately evoke the past. The rust-coloured handle and copper handle are excellent examples of retro style!
Let’s not forget that vintage style brings together an eclectic mix of furniture, objects and colours: it’s entirely possible to pair antique furniture with a handle in matt black steel, rustic nickel, brushed stainless steel or chrome-plated steel. It’s all about contrast!
Some handles get their vintage character from their surface finish: whether chiselled or carved with sweeping arabesques or fleurs-de-lis, they embrace all the hallmarks of retro style.
How do you fit a retro handle? Advice from Milla Handles
Anyone can fit a retro door handle. Simply assemble the few straightforward components that make up the handle (backplate, fixing screws, rose, spindle, latch and so on). For a handle on a long backplate, you’ll need to measure the fixing centres or the spindle length. Fitting handles on backplates, even with a lock rose, takes just a few minutes.
You may want to call on a professional if you need to fit more complex door hardware, such as a locking system on your wooden front door: a cylinder lock, a privacy lock or a multipoint lock of the kind used on a security door… Fitting a new mortice lock requires a hole to be drilled in the wooden door. For a surface-mounted lock, carefully follow the installation instructions supplied with the product.
You don’t need to be a DIY expert: explore our full collection of interior door handles for easy-to-install options. Just order your favourite handle and wait a few days for it to arrive… A few turns of a screw and you can enjoy its decorative effect!
Beyond vintage, every style is possible: there’s a door handle for every setting! Choose distinctive door handles for a contemporary interior, modern knobs for sliding doors or futuristic recessed handles.
Whether it’s window espagnolette bolts, brass furniture handles and knobs, front door handles or handles for other interior doors, vintage door handles are perfect for enhancing an interior’s retro style. Easy to fit with a simple screwdriver, their fixing screws can be tightened into their holes with a turn of the wrist, so you can enjoy your decorative accessories in minutes!
Explore the wide range of Milla door handles, door knobs and furniture handles from MILLA HANDLES, the design handle specialist!