5 Ways to Repurpose Vintage Doorknobs

Recently, I shared a tutorial for converting old doorknobs into drawer pulls or wall hooks.  This conversion will make anyone’s collection of vintage door hardware much more versatile and useable.  So, if you’ve had way too much fun at architectural salvage and antique stores collecting pretty, timeworn handles, you can dust them off and try repurposing those old knobs in fresh, fun ways around the house.  Check out these five ways I discovered to reuse vintage doorknobs:

1.  As handy towel hooks

One of the showpieces of Stacy’s bathroom renovation is this handy spot for hanging towels.  At Not Just a Housewife, Stacy shows how she incorporated the amazing knobs they found around their house during restoration into her bathroom design.  I like the way she used several different knobs, which adds a lot of visual interest.

2.  As Wall Art

Melissa from 320 Sycamore may have only had one old doorknob leftover from her home renovation, but she found a great way to display it.  Take a look at the pretty piece of artwork Melissa created with her vintage crystal knob, using a thrift store frame.

3.  As feet for a serving tray

A plain serving tray gets a more formal look with just an addition of small doorknobs.  Martha Stewart shows how anyone can make this quick project with a few simple tools.  I think this is a really fun twist on the basic wood tray.

4.  As decorative card holders

This idea for repurposing vintage doorknobs comes from Petite Michelle Louise.   Isn’t it amazing how some bent wire and heirloom jewelry turn worn out knobs into beautiful decor pieces?

5.  As Fall decor

No conversion necessary for this recycling project!  The wonderfully crafty Stephanie Lynn of Under the Table and Dreaming came up with this darling pumpkin patch.  She used paint and various sizes of knobs to turn old hardware into fun seasonal decor.

Have you seen any great ways to reuse or display vintage hardware?  I’d love to hear about them.