Anthropologie
Scrimshaw Knob
$48, anthropologie.com
Fusion Hardware
Victorian Violet Knob
$109, fusion
hardware.com
Out of the Blue Studio
Green Spiral Knob
$288, outoftheblue
designstudio.com
Emtek Dog Knob
$106, emtek.com
Tracy Glover
Prospect Hill Knob
$160, tracyglover
studio.com
Nostalgic Warehouse
Newport Knob
$150, nostalgic
warehouse.com
Acorn Iron Art Knob
$235, acornmfg.com
Taamba K1 Knob
$155, taamba.com
invisible design
by margaret rhodes
handle
with care
photograph by
LIsa shIn
Constantly
handled yet oft ignored,
doorknobs spent decades
in need of an upgrade, after
a scarcity of brass during
the great depression and
World War II left the mar-
ket full of bare, skeletal
designs. recently, though,
renewed attention to hard-
ware design and consum-
ers’ hankering for standout
fixtures have led to a crop
of new knobs from unex-
pected designers.
pawtucket, rhode Island,
studio. “Finally we said,
‘ We gotta start making
doorknobs.’ ”
For retailer anthro-
pologie, releasing a line
of candy-colored, cheeky,
and offbeat hardware—
such as the best-selling
scrimshaw knob, carved
from repurposed camel
bone—sparked the launch
of new decor-focused
spaces within its stores.
“We don’t treat it like a
hardware store, where
it’s all function. It’s more
about aesthetic and design
that’s rooted in travel,” says
aaron hoey, head merchant
of its home department.
“We create a fantasy.”
