Vintage door handles: the latest trends in retro handles

Vintage door handles: the must-see models!

In interior design, the vintage style has never been more current! The upcycling spirit, the concept of recycling and repurposing objects celebrates this style that gives its followers complete freedom! The interior door handle is the ideal accessory to accentuate the vintage touch of your décor. Make the most of the unsuspected assets of this small door hardware item, easy to fit and available at an affordable price!  

 Discover a selection of magnificent vintage door handles that will help give your home a retro look.

Vintage door handles: our top 12 favourites!

Find inspiration among this selection of the finest door handle models in an antique or rustic style!

The authentic vintage handle: the HINON handle

This retro door handle immediately transports us to the past with its natural and understated style. This handle with its retro curves, on its round plate, will win you over with its old-fashioned forms. The visible screws on its plate accentuate its industrial and authentic character. The rust finish gives it a singular character, irresistible for fans of retro chic! This distinctive interior handle is also available in black. This model is ideal for enhancing rustic or retro interiors but can also perfectly suit a modern industrial workshop-style setting. This beautiful handle with its old-world charm is crafted from a combination of ZAMAK and steel, which gives it strength and quality. Complete this original vintage handle with its matching locking rose (key or privacy bolt lock) if you intend to use this handle on a bathroom or bedroom door.

The retro door handle: Ref model ERIS

As if emerged from the past, this retro door handle embodies charm and sensuality! The finely chiselled scrolls decorate the handle riveted onto its round plate. The unfolding of the spirals sculpted at the base of the lever is interrupted, only to resume along the edges of the rounded end. The delicacy of the carvings is enhanced by the bronze patina colour. One might think it was made of bronze or brass, but it is actually a modern material that brings this retro interior handle back into fashion. Indeed, zamak (an alloy of zinc, copper and aluminium) is often used by designers: it offers the malleability and flexibility essential to their creativity. It also guarantees the solidity required of any door handle. The handle will be used hundreds of times a day: it must retain the same lustre as on the very first day of its installation. This vintage handle model suits every room in the home. A living room or study with a classic style, but it can also fit into a modern décor. This distinctive handle offers numerous possibilities.

The vintage door handle: model ref MALTA

This vintage handle is a true work of art! With its matt bronze finish that gives it its vintage look, it will win over lovers of the retro aesthetic. Its shape evokes a wave with three slender stripes in alternating dark and light colours. Its round plate reinforces the sensation of stepping back in time. Its matt bronze finish accentuates its baroque character. This original door handle will find its perfect place in a vintage interior. This handle is made of aluminium, an ideal material for shaping its distinctive line. Durable, lightweight and cost-effective, aluminium offers a plasticity capable of producing varied forms. Beyond its beauty, this handle offers a major advantage: its affordable price! Design is within everyone's budget! Remember to complement the retro-style handle with a locking rose (with key lock or privacy bolt); the pair will form a harmonious set.

The antique door handle on a round plate – Ref model CASCADA

Are you looking for an atypical door handle with a vintage look? Here is the interior handle you need! This retro handle will add character to your interior. Its round plate and its lever with elegantly fine grooved carvings give it an irresistible baroque feel. In addition to the "cuero" leather finish that gives it its retro look, this door handle is available in two other finishes: polished chrome, with its brilliant shine, and matt black, for its elegant and chic appeal. The material chosen is neither brass nor bronze but zamak, a modern alloy of zinc and aluminium. This material is particularly appreciated by designers for its flexibility and robustness. Do not hesitate to complement this magnificent retro door handle with its locking rose, key lock or privacy bolt.

The antique door handle – Ref model Luxor

This interior door handle with a retro-style locking rose proudly displays its vintage look. Its rounded forms and arabesques inspired by the ancient world accentuate the classic character of these door handles. Its polished bronze metal finish makes this door handle, crafted in stainless steel, a timeless piece. The relief ornaments of scrolls and roses inspired by the fleur-de-lys motif are echoed on the rose that houses the lock. The overall effect is sumptuously chic! 

Vintage interior handles – Ref FADO

This intricately shaped handle is a true product of luxury craftsmanship. With its delicately cut lever whose rounded end echoes the round plate, giving way to a tapered handle that displays perfect symmetry between the knobs at each end. Its high-end finish makes this design handle ideal for pairing with antique furniture in a bedroom as well as in a classic living room. Once again, its appearance deceives us as to its material: this door handle is made of zamak (an alloy of aluminium, copper and zinc), whereas one might have expected brass or chrome steel. Do not hesitate to complete this handle with its locking rose!

High-end antique brass door handle – Model FUSILLA

This antique door handle is of Italian manufacture and crafted from 100% Italian brass. It is a high-end handle with a strong personality and a refined finish. These brass handles are handmade with extreme attention to detail. These interior door handles meet the needs of the most discerning customers. A lover of quality, this design interior handle is made for you! With its retro style, it adapts perfectly to modern interiors, creating a timeless modern-retro style that is very on-trend.

The door handle on a long plate – the retro handle par excellence

Everything about this classic handle is reminiscent of the vintage style! The long plate with its two visible fixing screws at the rounded-cut tops housing a classic lever with an old-fashioned look. Its silver or aged bronze finish, well showcased by the escutcheon plate, reinforces the rustic appearance. It evokes a classic décor such as a living room with vintage tiling reminiscent of porcelain, furnishings composed of wooden wardrobes or an antique chest of drawers. This product will enhance a wooden piece of furniture with aged metal locks.

Vintage window handles: the old iron espagnolette bolt

The rustic espagnolette bolt is making a comeback. This old iron model will elegantly dress your windows and French doors, or even your kitchen cupboards. This old-fashioned handle will give a vintage character to your kitchen handle, echoing your antique furniture. By its shape, design and finish, this handle perfectly embodies the vintage style!

Vintage door knobs

The door knob is typically an old door handle. The oval knob in white porcelain was used to open the doors of our great-grandmothers! Even if today the door knob has largely modernised, it remains an ideal type of handle for enhancing your vintage décor. The knob is no longer made solely in porcelain but in brass or zamak, malleable and ultra-resistant materials. The knob also offers the advantage of being able to fully coordinate the interior décor by using the same model as a furniture knob, fitted on the door of a designer wardrobe, or as a drawer knob on an antique chest of drawers. No vintage chic without a touch of gilding! This gilded metal knob can echo mirrors, chair legs or gilded light fittings! Gold should be used sparingly to ensure the overall look remains chic!

Vintage recessed handles – Ref model Mandelli

The recessed handle (or cup handle) fits on sliding doors. There are two types of sliding door:

• The surface-mounted sliding door: the door slides along the wall;
• The pocket sliding door: the door slides into the wall, which has been hollowed out for this purpose.

The recessed handle comes in all styles and of course in the pure classic style such as the selected model. The shell-shaped handle or the more classic door knob illustrates the breadth of the product range. The recessed cup handle can also be used as furniture handles or on wardrobe doors or on a drawer. It can even be used to give a piece of furniture such as an old wardrobe a new look, adding a vintage style! Like other handle models, the vintage recessed handle can be paired with its locking system (key or bolt). The gold finish accentuates the vintage character of this recessed handle. It is worth noting that gilding is an integral part of the retro style! Do not hesitate to choose your brass or gilded metal handles to add a chic touch to your décor!

Vintage pull handles

Let us not forget the pull handle, also known as a baton handle! This handle can perfectly enhance the vintage feel of your hinged doors. Just like the door knob, the pull handle allows for a complete vintage look: a handle positioned vertically on the wooden or glass door and the same handle horizontally on the drawers of your kitchen furniture or on the doors of your wardrobes.

Discover all our articles and advice on handles and door hardware accessories on our blog!

• Find technical guidance: how to fit a door handle? How to remove a handle? The different handle materials or the handle glossary (you will learn everything about the centre distance, the cylinder, the plates, the roses…)
• Take advantage of our décor tips: How to create a vintage atmosphere at home?, our selections of the most beautiful black handles or white handles. Which handle for a white door? Or designer handles with locks…

Learn everything about the world of handles with the design door handle specialist!