Period Style Hardware

This piece is the last one that we will be featuring from our attic right now.  It is a solid brass door handle that has a very classic style that is rarely seen nowadays.  These folding door handles used to be quite popular in homes throughout the country, and were thought to be more elegant than the traditional knobs and handles.

One of the best features about these pieces is that they fold down when not in use.  This allowed them to appear more decorative than functional.  While this may seem like an odd request today, it was quite common practice back in the twenties and thirties.  Home decorating wasn’t nearly as popular then as it is now, and was seen quite differently when it was appreciated.

When homeowners chose to decorate their homes, they did so extravagantly.  The whole goal was not to create a warm environment as it is now.  Instead, the owners chose as many elegant and luxurious pieces as possible to show of their wealth and standing in society.  One of the best ways to achieve this was buying and installing the newest things for homes, especially when it came to fixture pieces like lighting and hardware.

These pieces are still seen occasionally in homes, mainly for their quirkiness.  Most pieces in these older homes weren’t ever really chosen for their functionality.  The newest items on the market were often rather pricey, and it was thought that only the wealthiest and highest standing society wise would be able to afford such items.  There are still people that follow these same sort of rules today, but rather than spending money on items for their home, they choose to get the newest and best in cars, electronic devices, clothing, and sometimes the homes themselves.