We Found the Prettiest Unlaquered brass Door Knobs!
THE POPLAR COTTAGE
Unlaquered brass is hands down my favorite metal finish! It has a beautiful warm glow and develops a unique patina over time that just gets better and better. So when it came time to pick out door hardware at the Poplar Cottage, I scoured the internet for the prettiest unlaquered brass doorknobs! And today I wanted to share photos of what we picked plus a roundup of all my favorite unlaquered brass doorknobs. Let’s get into it…
door, doorknob (unlaquered brass), wallpaper (gold/slate)
Isn’t that a pretty doorknob?. I wanted something small, with a rectangular back plate that would feel very cottage-ey. These fit the bill perfectly. And I can’t wait to see them age.
If you’ve been around here for long, you probably remember we’ve used unlaquered brass hardware plenty (notably in the Farmhouse kitchen) and shared the aging process of the brass at 1 year and 3 years. But let me backup and share what exactly unlaquered brass is and why it’s my favorite.
What exactly is unlaquerd brass?
Unlacquered brass is a type of brass that has not been treated with a clear coat or lacquer, allowing the metal to age naturally. Over time it will acquire a character and pantina all it’s own. That shiny brass doorknob you see in the Poplar Cottage..it’ll become a rich warm golden tone or even a deeper, more rustic brown as it ages. And depending on how much use the hardware receives and the humidity in the house, the patina will develop faster or slower.
Benefits of unlaquered brass door hardware
There are lots of reasons to choose unlaquered brass. Here are my favorite three…
Unique and Evolving Beauty: Unlacquered brass develops a one-of-a-kind patina over time, adding warmth and character to your home. I love how you can see where hands grab a cabinet pull by the age pattern - the imperfections and aging are unique to each piece.
Durable and Long-lasting: Brass is a strong and resilient metal, ensuring your hardware will withstand years (centuries?) of use. All of the original door handles at our 111-year-old Farmhouse were made of solid brass and still worked great - it’s durable stuff!
Goes with everything: I like to think of unlacquered brass as a pair of well-loved Levi’s - they get better with age and go with anything. Unlaquered brass looks great in small English cottages, large ancestral homes, beach shacks modern family homes, …the list goes on and on.
passage vs privacy vs dummy
When buying unlacquered brass door hardware, it's important to consider how you’ll use the door. Is it a bathroom where a lock is a must? Or a closet where a simple non-locking handle will suffice? Here's a breakdown of the most common types of hardware sets:
Passage Knobs or Levers: These are ideal for hallways, closets, and other frequently used doors where you don’t need a lock.
Privacy Knobs or Levers: Privacy knobs or levers can be locked from the inside for added privacy (think bathrooms and bedrooms).
Dummy Knobs or Levers: Dummy knobs or levers are purely decorative and have no locking mechanism. These are often used on double doors or French doors where only one door functions.
For the Poplar Cottage, we bought all privacy knobs since the only doors are on the bathrooms and bedrooms.
For these doorknobs, the small knob next to the doorknob is the lock. You can push it in to lock and either pull it out or twist the interior door handle to unlock it. It’s a simple, elegant locking solution.
Roundup of doorknobs
We picked out our door hardware (#1 below) based on budget the style of the Poplar Cottage. But there are SO many other pretty unlaquered brass doorknobs! Here are more of my favorites…
1 // Providence door set (we selected this one for the Poplar Cottage), $125
2 // Arched knob interior door hardware, $215
3 // White porcelain knob door set, $229
4 // Coleman door set, $215
5 // Lever door set, $215
6 // Classic door knobs (available in ulaquered brass antique or unlaquered brass), $75
7 // Burnished doorknob (comes in 4.5” or 7”), $130
What do you think? Do you love these unlaquered brass doorknobs as much as me?
