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When we first moved into our current house, the realtor who sold us the house gave us a personalized door knocker as a thank you for your business gift. I enjoyed the hearty sound it made when people knocked on our door. Some years ago we replaced our set of double doors with a single door and sidelights and made the single door a dutch door and never reinstalled the door knocker.
I miss not having a door knocker. They were prevalent in London, and in various villages of the Cotswolds when we visited, and I love their old world charm.
So, while in search of a topic to share with you all, I discovered I have created a file titled “door knockers”. Who knew?! Some of these are charming all by themselves, others are on incredible doors, making for great curb appeal. Enjoy…
Who wouldn’t like this pair of beautiful doors. I wonder if that is mirrored glass or just the light reflecting off the panes?
This beauty [below] was taken by Debra of 5th and State, during one of her trips to England. She hosts tours of England and France. Maybe one day…
{5th and State, photograph by Debra}
This seems to be a classic design for door knockers, and I love the laurel wreath and the address number—all on a wonderful black door.
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This pretty door knocker is available at Amazon for unbelievably little $$$. I love the bronzed/rusty-looking finish.
If I ever move to Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod,or any beach area, this would be high on the list of possible door knockers.
A lion head door knocker is classic. I love this entry. Of course the blue and white porcelain urns and ivy topiaries have something to do with my admiration. 🙂
…the classic is back for his close up…
{source unknown}
Just as a side note, doesn’t this door [below] seem to have a mail slot in an inconvenient location.
{tumblr – Barb Dickie Photography}
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Do you have a door knocker on your front door?
Garden, Home & Party 
Anita Rivera said:
Good morning Karen! I love door knockers, but we’ve never had one in any of the homes I lived in as a child or during marriage. They are traditional and wonderful and perfect for a cottage! Since our climate here in Minnesota warrants having a storm door (I wish we didn’t need it!), then a knocker wouldn’t be an option. But I LOVE the fact that in Europe, especially England, they are such a charming part of the decor. I love your DUTCH DOOR! While in Carmel, that is all we saw in each shoppe, and I loved them.
Enjoy your day! Anita
Karen B. said:
Anita, I think that is where I first became smitten with the idea of a door knocker…1985 was my first trip abroad and England stole my heart. I never had a door knocker growing up either…door bells were the trend. I forget some of the architectural necessities when living in a cooler climate. I do love the seasons your region enjoys. Enjoy the rest of your week and thank you for stopping by, I enjoy our chats. xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 3:43 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Brenda Kincade said:
OMG!!!!! I love all of these. Must get one for the back door!
Sent from my iPad
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Karen B. said:
Hi Brenda, I hadn’t thought about putting a door knocker on the back door, but that would be really fun. Thanks for stopping by. Karen
On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 4:24 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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kristywharvey said:
I had NO IDEA that door knockers did all that! I thought they were just so you didn’t hurt your hand… Haha! See how much you’ve taught me, Karen? Thank you SO MUCH for the Dear Carolina shout out!! You have been the most supportive friend and I can’t possibly thank you enough! Big hugs and kisses to you!!
Karen B. said:
Kristy, Who knew, right…history and door knockers—gotta love it. By the way, to show you on a small scale how wonderful your book is—we hosted a dinner party for 4 couples this past Saturday and one of my friends brought your book. She said she had to read it after hearing about it and wanted to pass it on. She loved it. 🙂 xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 6:30 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Leslie @Pretty Petals said:
Hi Karen! Timely post as we are on the look out for TWO. Our home is white with black doors and oil rubbed bronze lighting fixtures .. so I need something to go with that. It’s a tough decision! My husband doesn’t care for the traditional style so I’m not sure what we will end up with. I think I’ll show him this post tonight and maybe something will resonate with him ;\ Enjoy your Wednesday!
Karen B. said:
Hi Leslie, How fun. The selection online is almost overwhelming, but still, its fun to see all of the options. Be sure to share what you end up with. xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 8:00 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Vicki said:
How neat- I love the idea of personalizing your door knocker to your house’s style or region. If you didn’t have your beautiful dutch door, I could see you having one with a pretty floral motif. Hope you’re having a pleasant week!
Karen B. said:
Hi Vicki, That’s something I should try to find…a floral door knocker. It seems there are lots of options where style is concerned. I hope your summer is going well…it seems to be flying by for me. August already? How is that possible. xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 8:03 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Loi Thai Tone on Tone said:
Fun post 🙂 I need that lobster door knocker for our home in Maine. And I prefer a door knocker over a door bell. Cheers, L
Karen B. said:
Loi, I loved the door knocker we had. We will definitely have to look into one for another spot—maybe the side gate. Yes, you need the lobster door knocker and I even like the glossy marine blue door. 🙂 xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 1:33 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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D'Arcy H said:
Door knockers are such fun, but there’s no place on my original Craftsman door to hang one. No room for a mail slot, either, unless it’s absurdly low. I guess that’s the only place they could put one on that two-panel door. Good height for a cat door, though! 🙂
Karen B. said:
D’Arcy, I love so many different doors and I guess I’ll just have to admire the heavy metal works of art in pictures. We enjoy the cool breezes that come through the front door when the dutch door is open, so we won’t have a door knocker on this door. You’re right, I went back to the image with the mail slot at the bottom and realize there was no other place to install it…I might have just gone with a free-standing mail box. LOL Enjoy your weekend. xo, Karen
On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 5:55 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Rattlebridge Farm said:
A wonderful post. I have a couple of knockers earmarked for the new-old ranch house, including one that I bought in the Cotswolds. (A magical place, isn’t it?) Beautiful photos and a marvelous history of the knocker.
Karen B. said:
Thank you! I think the Cotswolds is one of the most charming places I’ve ever visited. How great to be working on a farmhouse.
Karen
Karena said:
The doorways to ones home is like a first impression you make! Adore these wonderful door kn ockers and entry’s!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Karen B. said:
Karena, That has always been my take as well. The doors can invite you in and be welcoming. Enjoy your upcoming weekend. xo, Karen
On Thu, Jul 30, 2015 at 7:14 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Linda Coble said:
Karen,
Another wonderful post! I’ve always loved door knockers too but we’ve never had one. It seems that everything is doorbells nowadays. Watching an old episode of Miss Marple last night, I noticed the beautiful brass door knockers that were featured on all the lovely cottages. Maybe someday I’ll get one – possibly like the one you showed with the little bird on it. Charming!
Karen B. said:
Linda, Yes, the little bird caught my eye as well. In addition, I think he would be less of a bold sound. I imagine the larger knockers can really startle you when they’re banged on the receiving metal. 🏡 xo, Karen
On Thu, Jul 30, 2015 at 11:12 AM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Taylor Greenwalt said:
After reading this post I decided I need to buy a door knocker…
Karen B. said:
Julie, If you do, I hope you’ll share with us. I really enjoy seeing ideas for front door enhancement. I enjoy our front dutch door, but I wish there was room for a door knocker. 🙂 xo, Karen
On Sat, Aug 1, 2015 at 5:22 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Dawn said:
Karen, your entryway is lovely! It must be such fun to have a Dutch door! 🙂 I love the idea of a door knocker. There are so many amazing ones! I agree that a floral door knocker would be perfect for you! Here in the Midwest, we need storm doors to keep out the cold. A door knocker wouldn’t be functional, but it would be so charming! ♡
Karen B. said:
Dawn, I can’t quite figure out where I can put one myself, but I do love the detail they can add to a front door. xo, Karen
On Sat, Aug 1, 2015 at 8:13 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Gretchen said:
Karen, I have a door knocker but it’s so simple and uninspired. Next time, after seeing all these wonderful examples, I will choose one with much more personality. Like my sister, I love the little bird. It’s so whimsical!
Karen B. said:
Gretchen, I do like the looks of any door knocker on a door, it’s like the necessary accessory to finish of the beauty of a door! 🙂 xo, Karen
On Mon, Aug 3, 2015 at 9:12 PM, Garden, Home & Party wrote:
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Anita Rivera said:
Hello Karen! How are ya? It sure was lovely to come back inside from a little walk around the neighborhood and see you came to my blog post. Thank you! I’ve been having fun taking more photos and really trying to do so to help accompany my blog posts. It’s been such a playful summer for me!
Enjoy your day dear one. Anita
Marsha Cannon said:
I just hopped over to your blog from Design Chic and had to smile when I saw this post. I wrote about door knockers not so long ago myself! I love all of the ones you found!
Karen B. said:
Marsha,
Isn’t this world of blogging fun!? I’m happy to meet you, I’ll check out your site. Funny, as long as I’ve been doing this I still find new blog sites to love.
Thank you for stopping by.
Karen
Leslie Harris said:
HI Karen, I stopped by to thank you for your visit and check in to see what you’ve been up to. I can’t believe I didn’t leave a comment already on this post because it motivated me to start thinking about a door knocker–maybe the lobster–and some new house numbers. What a great post, I’m going to share it with the hubby too. I hope you’re enjoying your summer. It’s flying by isn’t it?
xo
Leslie