Easily replace your antique door handles! 

Don't hesitate any longer — replace your antique handles!

You love the antique handles in your home but you need to change them because they are too worn or no longer working properly? How do you replace your antique handles with new ones without losing the retro look of your doors?

We have tracked down some real hidden gems for you: recently made handles with a vintage look that will easily replace your antique handles! Iron, bronze or brass handles will restore character to your rustic doors.

The antique door handle is the ideal functional and decorative accessory for creating a unique atmosphere ranging from retro to vintage, as well as contemporary style. You can hunt in flea markets or take advantage of the many models inspired by antique handles offered by modern door hardware suppliers.

Whether in wrought iron, brass or porcelain, the antique door handle adds style to your interior décor: paired with Louis XV furniture, the handle will be ultra-classical; fitted on a raw wood door, it becomes rustic; screwed onto a designer door, it turns vintage!

Antique door handles have style 

This small piece of decorative hardware, made up of a few simple components (plate, square spindle or transverse square rod, lever, fixing screws) does not just serve to open and close doors! It helps to spread style throughout our interiors:

    * retro style: on a raw wood door opening onto a vintage living room, the antique handle takes on a retro feel

    * classic style: fitted on the door of a Louis XV-style study, the copper or golden antique handle becomes classic

    * designer style: paired with modern furniture, antique handles accentuate the designer side of your contemporary or vintage-inspired décor.

The style achieved depends on combining antique handles with furnishings that can be rustic or even… contemporary! Play on contrasts of styles (retro handle paired with modern furniture) or conversely go for the total antique look (antique door knobs and furniture knobs for a rustic kitchen…).

The specific shapes of antique interior handles

The antique door handle covers several types of models: 

    * the handle on a long backplate (classic handle with a latch backplate or with a key lock or WC-type privacy bolt)

     * the knob handle (the handle is operated by turning the knob) 

    * the handle on a rose (designers draw a rose that receives the lever (instead of the long backplate) to be completed with the rose with a locking system (key lock or privacy lock))

      * the pull bar handle (a pull handle used for the exterior doors of shops)

     * furniture handles (some ranges extend to furniture knobs to match all handles on every opening!)

Let us look at some examples of antique handles made from different materials and available in various finishes.

Antique iron door handle

Wrought iron is the traditional material for antique door handles. 

Ref Iron handle 271 oval rust colour

This rust-coloured door handle is an excellent illustration of the charm of the old style! The volute forming the lever of this interior door handle is supremely elegant. This vintage-looking model suits every room in the home, from the living room entrance door to the kitchen door.

Ref Black iron door knob 254

Another type of door handle, the knob handle is also of antique inspiration. In iron or white porcelain, the door knob is making a strong comeback in our contemporary homes by adopting more unexpected shapes.

This door knob with a black finish is particularly vintage. Its slim diamond-shaped plate, oriented vertically, accentuates the angular shape of the handle. Its two visible fixing screws underline its authentic character.

Ref Iron window handle 1200R

Door hardware is designed to dress not only our designer doors but also our windows and French doors. Here is a window handle with an antique design: the matt black highlights the aesthetics and understated elegance.

Antique bronze door handle

Bronze is a quality raw material naturally associated with antique handles.

Ref bronze door handle 1928 raw metal finish

The textured surface with an aged patina and the simplicity of the overall shape make this model an exceptional antique handle. It embodies the codes of both the antique and vintage styles: raw finish, ergonomics, simplicity of form…

This understated handle suits both a rustic kitchen and a vintage living room where antique furniture sits alongside modern accessories.

Ref Vertical bronze handle PHTT 40 Polished raw bronze finish

An old-style handle can also be original! The vertical position of the plate, the handle operable like a door knob, and its design make it irresistible. The polished raw bronze colour accentuates the authentic character of this atypical antique handle. 

Antique brass door handle 

Italian door handle on plate - Ref Mandelli Lord

The patina of polished brass gives this golden interior door handle the charm and chic of bygone days. The fine chiselling adorning the ends of the backplate and accentuating the rounded curves of the lever add to the retro style of this premium handle.

The key lock guarantees the privacy of your bedroom or office.

Elegant chrome door handle on round brass rose - Ref Mandelli Aurora

The polished chrome finish of this retro door handle gives this model its full originality. We tend to picture antique door handles in golden, copper or rust finishes, but far less often as chrome handles. The antique character of this handle comes from its design, its finely chiselled round rose and the lever with elegant ridges.

Antique rococo-style handle in yellow brass - Ref Enrico Cassina

This yellow brass door handle is absolutely stunning! A rococo old-style handle, lavishly adorned with chiselled decorations, it adds a touch of glamour to a chic living room!

Antique porcelain door handle

Decorative hardware appreciates accessories made from porcelain. White or finely floral-painted porcelain decorates furniture door knobs as well as the round or oval knob handles of houses of yesteryear.

Ref Mandelli Paros (Milla Poignées boutique)

The combination of the golden finish of satin brass with the white porcelain lever is a total success! The designers bring together two quality materials: ceramics with marbled reflections and solid brass, lending sophistication and elegance to your antique oak or raw wood doors. The long backplate with key function enhances the classic look of the handle by dressing the keyhole.

You've got the idea! Replacing an antique handle is no longer a problem thanks to the variety of different models offered by modern door hardware! Interior handles, handles for entrance doors with a recessed lock, pull handle for exterior doors, furniture knobs, furniture handle or espagnolettes are available in all finishes (gold, chrome, black, bronze, rust...) and designed in modern materials such as zamak (a recyclable zinc and aluminium alloy). You can even enhance the antique feel of your exterior doors by adding a classic-style door knocker to your rust-coloured handle!

Don't hesitate to change your handles — all the more so as it is technically within everyone's reach! No need to call a locksmith! A flat or cross-head screwdriver and a bit of wrist strength are all you need to unscrew and reassemble your door furniture. If needed, watch this video tutorial on the easy installation of handles on your doors.

NB. All selected models are available at Milla Poignées, the specialist in designer handles and antique handles!