Tag Archives: style

How to Decorate With Glass Door Knobs

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Whether you are restoring an older home or going for a more modern look, glass doorknobs create elegant yet genteel interiors. Although it might seem like minor detail, a glass knob or crystal doorknob can transform any ordinary door into a portal from the past. The good news is that you no longer have to search the flea markets in search of that perfect antique handle. There are all sorts of companies that now specialize in creating reproductions of crystal knobs. You can find these online easily. Crystal knobs also support a variety of new decorating styles – everything from nerd chic to Barbie chic to Victorian chic to modern Italian styles of decorating. It’s simply hard to go wrong!

If you are shopping in an antique or flea market for crystal door knobs keep in mind that many of these knobs were coated with paint in the 40s to keep up with changing styles in interior design. This means that the perfect door knob for you might be one that hides in a slush pile of ugly knobs. Scraping off the paint could reveal a beautiful crystal rosette or glass beveled jewel beneath. Crystal is quite hardy but you should still be careful while doing this to prevent damaging the door knob.

The more purple in color a doorknob is when you hold it up to the light the more valuable it is likely to be. These types of doorknobs turn purple over time (mostly from exposure to the sun.) This means that the crystal is heavier and also that the glass itself has a higher lead content. Glass doorknobs with a higher lead content can be worth hundreds of dollars!! Otherwise glass doorknobs are generally clear in color.

Whether you are shopping for genuine antique or reproduction door fixtures, keep in mind that you are not just limited to the knobs that look like giant round crystal gems. You can also find hand cut leaded crystal knobs that are cut into square or oval shapes. You are also likely to find glass blown doorknobs in every color of the rainbow including onyx, obsidian, and sapphire blue, emerald, topaz, pink and ruby red. During the Arts and Crafts movement in style in the 1920s hand-blown glass doorknobs were also popular.

There are also many doorknob fixtures to mount your crystal doorknobs on including ones made from brass, silver and gold and shapes that are ovals, barrels, squares, hexagons, domed tops and filigrees.

Most homes that suit crystal doorknobs were built in the Victorian, Edwardian and Colonial Revival Eras so matching your knob to your door might be as simple as determining your home’s historical era.

How to Decorate a Living Room in the Asian Way

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The Asian way of decorating can create a real sense of serenity in the home. It also works well in smaller spaces, like condo rooms because it is a style that does away with clutter.

Simplicity is at the heart of this style. Keep your lampshades as paper ones. You can get white ones or red ones which are the most authentic. However many China town stores have them in an attractive yellow color that can make quite a style statement. Places like Ikea also have paper hanging or free standing lanterns that add a real sense of atmosphere to a place. Bamboo place mats are also appropriate. Straw mats look very elegant in any room. You can use one to define the seating area of any room.

Oriental parasols can also make very elegant lampshades. You simply saw them to the right length and use them to cover the fixtures. This is a good way of covering over ugly pot hole lighting.

Another classic type of room divider is called a Shoji room divider and using one in a room can really give a room an Eastern flair. These are wood with bamboo paper.

Simplicity and harmony are also at the heart of the window blinds used in this culture. Opt for simple bamboo blinds to give your home a sense of airiness. Bamboo room dividers can also be used to separate one area from another.

To really give your home that Asian look try using an Asia Scroll painting. Hanging a large Asian scroll on your wall gives it a lovely counter point.

You can also make a big Buddha or a collection of Buddha figures the focus of your room. Deerknocker fountains and koi ponds, (fake or real) also make a beautiful addition to any décor.

Another Asian touch is to hang a pair of crossed swords on the wall. This is an ancient placement to protect against evil. Make sure the swords are not that sharp and hung securely on the wall.

Most Asian homes also have an aquarium or fountain of some kind in the room. These can be large or small. A poster of fish, mountains or peonies or a similar type of image printed on your linens can also help.

At tabletop Zen garden is the kind of decoration that also gives your room that Asian Flare. This is just a patch of sand with pebbles in it and a rake. You then use the rake to make patterns in the sand.