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How To Decorate With Vintage Door Knobs

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I bet you have a bunch of old junk! No need to be embarrassed. If you’re older and have lived in the same house or apartment forever, you’ve built up a supply of junk. It just happens.

No need for that old stuff to sit in a drawer or hang out in the closet. Go through your drawers (lol), and I bet one of those pieces will speak to you. Pull it out and find a use for it. 

vintage toaster Petticoat Junktion

I bought the vintage toaster at an auction for $3. I know the other folks at the auction were wondering what in the world I was going to do with it. Well, I had no idea. I just knew I liked it.

vintage door knobs Petticoat Junktion

Once I got it home I sat it on a shelf and noticed my junk stash of old door knobs. Some of the knobs are from our house and some I collected at the junk store. You might have some old door knobs?

Hemp oil Petticoat Junktion

The toaster and the knobs were drab and dirty. I oiled them with Hemp Oil and then shined them up. You can do the same thing with soap and water and then wax or furniture polish. Work with what you have.

decorating with vintage door knobs Petticoat Junktion

I added simple artificial flower stems and created this display. Who knew door knobs could double as flower “vases”.

old door knob makes great home decor

I added a little color behind this display with a small landscape oil painting. 

vintage door knobs flower vases Petticoat Junktion

The toaster works perfectly as a display for the chippy door knobs. It is rusty in spots, but now it’s clean rust, and the rust just adds character.

But wait, I have a second project I created using my old door knobs. 

supplies to make recipe holder Petticoat Junktion

Supplies: thick wire (mine came from a yard sale), vintage door knob with rod, wire cutters, needle nose pliers, and wax of some kind.

recipe holder supplies Petticoat Junktion diy

Since the door knob I used was all rusty and so was the wire, I waxed them. The wax keeps the rust from rubbing off on your hands and other things. It also adds a nice patina to the rust.

To make the wire holder, cut a length of wire, thread it through the bottom hole, and twist it around the rod with needle-nose pliers. Make sure it’s good and tight.

diy vintage door knob recipe holder Petticoat Junktion

Stick the rod back in the knob and you’re done! Unless you look at it and think it is a little one-dimensional. Mine didn’t look right, so I cut more wire and did a little more twisting and…..

making a recipe holder Petticoat Junktion

Now it looks much better.

repurpose an old door knob

It can actually be displayed on its own. Or add two or three family photos.

how to repurpose old door knobs

It makes a great recipe card holder. What do you think of these ideas? 

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9 Comments

  1. Your little vintage toaster and doorknob vignette is just as precious and creative as can be! What a great idea, I’ve got a couple of old doorknobs like that in one of my junk bins around here. I’m going to dig them out and copy your great idea!

  2. You can tell the difference, great idea on door knobs.

  3. I never would have thought to use them that way! I have seen people use them as drawer pulls, hangers for coats or hats, toppers on birdhouses, but never as a vase!

  4. L. Thompson says:

    Picture quality is the BEST and I know nothing about
    photography. I can tell a difference in these and your past pictures. Great work.

  5. You have such great ideas! How cute this is and the pictures are so crisp & clear.

  6. Marie@The Interior Frugalista says:

    I love the way you think outside of the box Kathy. Who would’ve thought to use door knobs for mini vases – brilliant!

  7. chris aka monkey says:

    they display is eye candy and the pics are awesome xx

  8. Cute idea!

  9. This is so cute, what a great idea! Love the photos!