Are you looking for period fixtures and fittings to restore your home to its original design? It is wise to first establish the period of the house, whether Georgian or Victorian, for example. Then you need to find out which fixtures and fittings are relevant to that period, and also, how and why they were used. Remember that choosing your door furniture such as door knockers, door handles, finger plates and escutcheons is a major aspect of fitting out a period home.

Beautiful solid brass and ironmongery is still made today to enhance period homes. It can be difficult to find original fixtures, so remember that well-made reproductions are available for all periods.

The earliest handles were made from wood. Wood can easily be turned and so the bee hive door knob was born. Suffolk latches were also made from wood and are very strong. These designs can still be found in wood as well as in brass and iron.

In the Georgian period, six-panel doors were most prevalent and the bee hive door knob was very common. It resembles the lower body of a bee. Matching finger plates, referred to as the Georgian door plate were oblong with straight vertical lines. Key escutcheons matched these, all three of them reflecting nature as interpreted by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Both function and decoration were important in this period.

Finger plates, or push plates are both decorative and functional. They stop grubby finger marks getting ground into the waxed wood doors and are much easier to clean than the door. Kick plates came about for the same reason. The escutcheon came about as a product of making rooms more secure. Rim locks saw the introduction of keys and hence the key hole. Thus the need for the escutcheon which dressed the key hole and also acted as a draught excluder.

The Regency period took much of its influence from classical Greek and Roman design and was a brief period of bold design. Lions and rams heads were common on door knobs and door knockers, along with the swags and acanthus leaves widely used by Robert Adams. This period of bold design was the starting point for the extremely decorative Victorian era.

The Victorian four-panel door used rim locks with solid and blown door knobs. The simple bun pattern was prevalent. The blown door knob was hollow and surprisingly plain considering that the Victorians were very fond of very decorative embellishments on brass and ironmongery. It was not unusual to find Queen Victoria's head on door knobs and knockers. However, this was seen as over-decorative by the arts and crafts movement.

Designers such as William Morris and Christopher Dresser took their inspiration from simplicity and functionality and experimented with alternative materials. They used materials such as copper and bronze. The Edwardian period is particularly interesting because materials were used to create illusions. For example, slate was painted to give the impression of the opulence of marble and ?copperisation? was used extensively for coating door furnishings. In this procedure, a thin layer of copper is applied to a surface by the use of electrolysis to create different patinas on base metals. This was an ingenious method as it saved on raw materials which were hard to obtain in times of war, yet gave the same look, and made such items quite specific to that era.

Using conflicting designs from different decorative periods can result in a effect that looks and feels wrong. So whatever the age of your property I hope you enjoy selecting your door furniture and creating your perfect period home.