We're in a world where every day we are being told to try and make a difference for the environment. We're inundated with information about the damage that is being done to the environment on so many levels, and being told we are the culprits. They say the only way to change things, is for all of us to make a change. You may be wondering what this has to do with home décor. It's about ways to make a smaller environmental impact, while still redecorating.

There are actually companies out there who focus their business on taking the old and making it new again. Some of these people are called antique dealers. You've seen them and may have thought they only have trinkets and clothes from generations past. But many carry more than just bric-a-brac, they also carry old pieces of hardware such as glass door knobs that are generations or centuries old.

There is another kind of company that is forward thinking. They are not the end dealer, waiting to get a good buy on something old, but they are out there finding these great old pieces, before they are destroyed. You have probably seen this happen a time or two – an old building in town is demolished to make way for a new mall, condo, or skyscraper. While the original building may have been a little run down, does that mean everything in it was trash? Not necessarily. Think of an old theater from the 1920's. Theaters of the time were very classy establishments, with the best in décor and accents throughout, from glass door knobs to ornate hardware accents, all those things are likely still inside the building as it's being destroyed. Those glass door knobs and other pieces are completely functional pieces of history that are being tossed aside in the name of progress. This is where salvage companies come in.

There are a few companies out there that search for these buildings, set to be destroyed, and salvage what they can for others to bring back to life in their homes. Many of these are old turn-of-the century and pre-war buildings that have lived out their usefulness, but thanks to these salvage companies some of their parts will live on, long after the building is gone.

For those looking to recreate a historic period of time, or just looking for old world style in their home, these salvagers are a godsend. While you can get a lot of reproductions of pieces on the market today, nothing really takes you back in time like the pieces of hardware and architecture that really were back in time. Even if you just want to add a small bit of flare to your new world home, many of the hardware pieces such as glass door knobs and pulls, can be put on your modern day doors and cabinets, and not only give your home a piece of history, but also save the resources that it would have taken to make a new piece.