Right before we installed the hardwood floors upstairs, we mentioned how we sprayed all of the blue trim and doors upstairs here…
… but they’re now naked when it comes to knobs.
We’re no strangers to ORBing things like we did here, but a lot of the doors here were rusted and pitted and some were even jammed/didn’t turn/didn’t lock.
So in this case, it really makes sense for us to replace them with something befitting of our freshly painted six panel doors. On one hand, it was a bummer to have to shell out loot for new knobs, but on the other hand the doors are in awesome shape and look like new with glossy white paint on them- so it’s a lot easier on the budget to just get new knobs (and hinges, which Home Depot sells in bulk “contractor packs”) than to replace all of the doors themselves.
I think we were aiming for two things when it came to our knob hunt: something classic (to work with our house’s style) and something special (we thought it was a fun opportunity to choose something you don’t see every day). So here are a few of the knobs that we courted, so to speak:
- This $56 white porcelain knob with a pewter stem
- This dark-toned $108 antique-ish knob
- This $73 chrome knob with a square plate
- This $35 oil-rubbed bronze knob with a rectangular plate behind it
- This $90 oil rubbed bronze & crystal one
- This $109 plated knob
- This $105 egg-knob in polished chrome
- This $28 oblong ORBed one
- This $24 chrome knob
- This $30 satin nickel egg-knob
- This blinged out $97 crystal and satin nickel one
- This $16 classic oil-rubbed bronze knob
- This interestingly shaped $43 satin-nickel knob
- This dark-toned $30 lever knob
It definitely wasn’t an easy decision – we honestly thought almost any of them would work nicely – but in the end it came down to what we were drawn to most, and our budget of course (some of the pricier ones would have been 1K worth of knobs just for the upstairs!). We’ve been in love with the idea of rich mocha hardwood floors, white trim and doors, and dark knobs for a while – just because that classic high contrast look seems so perfect for this house. So that helped us eliminate a few. And when we came across inspiring photos like this one and this one, it was pretty clear to us that we loved the look of a rectangular plate behind the knob – just for the added interest that it brought.
In the end, we chose these $35 guys (#4 above) for the four bedrooms and these $24 ones for the two bathrooms (they’re similar to #12 but without a hole in the middle and in the same finish as the other knobs since they’re the same maker, so we thought that was worth it). Then we got the cheaper closet versions of those for the closets (many of which could be dummy knobs like this).
Oh and before checking out I googled around for a coupon code that took 10% off of our order and gave us free shipping. So that saved us some cash.
We hope the new knobs will add up to an entire upstairs floor with a fresh-yet-classic feeling. We already have the dark hinges up, so we’re just waiting on our doorknobs…
It’s crazy to think a few short weeks ago the upstairs hallway looked like this.
As much as I thought the old carpet and blue trim were burned into my mind, they’re like a distant memory now that we’re all moved in. It’s funny how quickly your brain adjusts when you update things. Maybe that explains my love of before pictures. They save the starting point forever so you can always look back and say “dude, remember that?!”
*Update: none of the links in this post are affiliate links (got a question about it, so I thought I’d add a little note for ya).
Update – Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint colors we used? Just click on this button:
Kate says
I am dying to see more of this new house!!!!! Like…. where all your “stuff” is ending up. The rug switcharoos is making me excited. And, that sneak peak into your bedroom is killing me. Also – love the classic knobs. It’s so fun to see what small upgrades can do for a house.
Allison says
I like them! I also like how you’ve started giving (or linking to) the budget or DIY option like spray paint for people who want it, and then going on to make a more expensive choice if that’s right for you in your new home. It’s fun to see how you pick things out, and helps me a lot, too!
Sarah says
Looks great. I think it was a good choice to get new instead of sinking money into the old pitted ones.
Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says
Thanks so much for sharing myknobs.com. We have gross, pitted brass knobs as well. Now I know where to go to get different ones. Can’t wait to see your install!
Leigh K says
Do these knobs give you a way to unlock from the outside? I would imagine that would be a safety concern with kids.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, I believe all locks have to be able to be unlocked from the outside for safety reasons, right? If not, I can pop a lock with a credit card (did that a few times in our second house when Clara locked herself into a room and I didn’t have a key handy). Haha!
xo
s
Leigh K says
I would imagine that there are rules/regulations on that – I just didn’t see where on the non-locking side of the knob you would unlock.
At least your credit card lock-picking skills are current — ha!
YoungHouseLove says
Hah! I think instead of a hole on the front of the knob it’s on the base, so you just pop the key in there :)
xo
s
maureen says
have you ever used build.com, when I replaced all the door hardware I found the prices to be better. Also had the hinges at a lower price point
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome! Will have to check it out!
xo
s
KarinK says
Looks SO. MUCH. BETTER. already!
Ana says
Before I sold my previous house, I needed to buy new door knobs. Since I was selling and wouldn’t be around to enjoy them, I didn’t want to spend a ton. I searched and found a seller on eBay who sold them in lots so I bought a lot that had the number of “real” and dummy knobs I needed (shaped like your #7 but with the finish of #10) for less than $10 each (brand new and still in the packaging). I don’t remember the exact seller anymore, but I always tell people to look on eBay first.
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip!
xo
s
Ginny @ Goofy Monkeys says
Love it! Our house needs a full-set of knobs too. I think of all the doors in the house only one worked right!
Do you guys need to bore bigger holes for the new hardware or will the pop right into what’s there?
YoungHouseLove says
It hasn’t arrived yet so we’re not sure, but we’re hoping it works with the holes we have!
xo
s
Lauren says
OMG. I love how you update everything. For some reason I wouldn’t make the same decisions ever…but I end up LOVING everything you do more than what I would have done.
When I get a house can you please come fix it for me?! haha…it will be a few years, so maybe you will be almost done with yours and you will be looking for a new house (mine, hopefully) to do! Good idea, don’t you think?!
xo Lauren
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Lauren! We’ll come right over on closing day and redo your whole house. Haha! Actually that sounds like fun…
xo
s
Lauren says
It could be a paid vacation to…..wait for it…..WISCONSINNNNNN lol I actually used to live right near you kinda! Fun fact: I lived in Bethesda, MD before moving out here. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Wisconsin heeeeere we come!
xo
s
Jill Stigs says
And when you are in Wisconsin, stop by my condo in downtown Waukesha!! ;)
Bronwyn says
How much fun is picking doorknobs?! I set up a Pinterest board, and surveyed friends on Facebook, and in the end decided on these:
http://emtek.com/Passage-Privacy-Knobs/octagon-knob
And as I’m downunder in Australia, and they aren’t distributed here, I had to order them online and I think I might be the only house in Australia with them. I do hope people notice them (and if they don’t I’ll be sure to point them out!). Your pick would have gone nicely in my house too, but I wanted something with corners for easier grip. Hope you love yours as much as I love mine.
YoungHouseLove says
Those are so pretty!
xo
s
Gina says
Haha, those were the exact ones I picked!! :) can’t wait to see them in place.
Diane @ Vintage Zest says
Oooh, nice knobs! (In a non-dirty) way) And I totally love it when you get a bonus coupon code just from googling. :)
Brooke says
I love the before and after shots. It honestly looks like a completely different place. I love it and can’t wait to see what else you guys come up with.
Rene @thedomesticlady says
You picked the one I like….great minds.
gabriella @ our life in action says
Boy you guys are just crusin right along. I love the black door knobs – looking good. :-)
Loren says
I have been reading your blog way to long because I KNEW what you all were going to pick off that list. ;)
And you guys! The upstairs looks AMAZEBALLS! It’s insane how much difference the white trim and dark floors makes!
Kimberly says
It’s all coming along so nicely! I know you have lots and lots more work to do, but I’m so excited to continue to follow you guys and your blog to see all the amazing things that are waiting. Thanks for buying a new house that needs so. much. work!!! :-) I’m downright giddy to check for updates each day!
Hanna says
I can’t wait to see what they look like! our 150 yr old house came with a single antique knob and long backplate on one of the doors which I would love to match in the rest of the house. However, like you, price has been holding me back. You may inspire me to take the leap!
Lauren says
Wow! I can’t believe what just a few changes made to the upstairs!! I know putting in the flooring was a lot of work, but by just getting rid of that carpet, painting the doors and trim and new hardware, it looks like a completely new house! I’m super excited to see all the amazing things your going to do to your new home. Good luck!
Teresa @ wherelovemeetslife says
I knew those were the ones you would pick! lol I like them. We personally have the handles for knobs like #14 only in brushed nickel. We have small children and they learn to open doors very quickly with those!!! Not the safest option for sure.
Can’t wait to see how it all looks. It’s so exciting to think what you guys might be working on right now. You have SOO much that can be done and fairly quickly for a big impact that each post is a nail biter for me! lol ah yes, I AM a dork.
Ali B. says
So funny! I saw those and thought, yeah, they’re gonna choose those ones. And I was right! Awesome!
Patricia says
Haha I hope you guys were aware of how naughty your title is in British English!
Stunning knobs/doors though, you’ve done a great job as always!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahaha! Woops, didn’t think about that…
xo
s
Sierra Ellison says
I really love 2 and 5 together, athough they are a little pricey for a closet. Haha. I would like to invite you to take a look at my blog. It’s new and a little green, do you have any suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Love the blog! It was fun to walk through the market with you and check out Martha’s new wares :)
xo
s
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
Love the knob choices! That was actually one of my favorite house projects, picking out new knobs! :)
Christine says
Winner! I guessed those were the ones that you would pick! Great choices. I love the smaller plate on the ones you chose.
Lesley says
With-Out. Fail. I picked the most expensive ones when I first looked at the selection… then would have adjusted to the ones you picked once I recovered from the sticker-shock.
Those will look great!
I was wondering about the whole locking doorknob thing. After hearing about too many kids being locked in bathrooms, we decided to install no lockable knobs in our entire house. For the bathroom we think the kids will need to learn, if someone has the door closed, you don’t open it. Now as they get closer and closer to teenage-hood, we may need to revisit that but I think we would choose to install a slide lock further up the door jamb, if you are tall enough to reach it you should be big enough to know how to lock and unlock it.
YoungHouseLove says
So interesting! I think Clara has learned a good lesson from locking herself into a room (it scared her, but I popped the door with a credit card and got her out). I think I’d worry if we didn’t have locking doors she’d accidentally lock herself into a room at a friend’s house or a hotel bathroom or something. Haha!
xo
s
Sara says
What a huge difference taking out that awful carpet and painting out the trim makes! You definitely picked the right projects to start off with for the biggest impact. We’re in the beginning stages of building a custom house right now, and a week ago we selected and ordered the windows and doors. I can’t decide which I love more, ORB, black, or brushed nickel for the door knobs. We had to make a quick decision on the hinges, as the factory puts those on. We chose brushed nickel hinges to be more blendy with white doors, which leads me to my question for you: Do the hinges and knobs have to match? What’s your take on it?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, that’s a good question! My initial reaction is that if they do it’ll look nice and seamless, but I’m sure someone has done them non-matching in a cool way that I’d love!
xo
s
Yulia says
This may be a dumb question, but what’s a dummy knob? From the link it appears that there is no latching mechanism at all, so how would the door stay closed? I know that closets don’t need to lock, but they still have the interior part that would latch the door. Will your dummy knobs have that part?
YoungHouseLove says
The dummy knob is good for any closet with double doors like a linen closet (one knob on the right side has a latch and the door on the left has a dummy knob since they both can’t latch or they’d interfere – so just one of them latches into the other and then the other knob is just for show).
xo
s
karen says
that was my pick from the little facebook image!! i am choosing Emtek ones just like that…but with a white porcelain knob :))
YoungHouseLove says
I LOVE the white porcelain knob. We saw those at a house we crashed years ago and I’ve been coveting them ever since. If only they were a bit less loot!
xo
s
karen says
really??? why don’t you get one for like the bathroom…or another door that’s on the first floor. they still would flow with the full black. i know they are pricey…but this will be (i hope) my forever house..we are building next year.
YoungHouseLove says
Alas, John doesn’t love them as much so I couldn’t convince him to use them sparingly. But I love that idea. Maybe someday I can wear him down and put one on the frosted pantry door or something :)
xo
s
Nora Rose says
The Jersey girl in me is sad you didn’t pick crystal bling. My parents have older gold and crystal knobs in their upstairs and they were always my favorite part of the house. However, budget is important too and I love what you chose!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yeah John just didn’t like those guys, and he’s 50% of the vote. Gotta get more Jersey in him I think!
xo
s
Erin says
I chose my fave before I scrolled to see what you guys ended up with, and I chose 4 as well. And I’m dork enough to admit I now feel like a total winner!
I can’t wait to see the final result. :)
Lindsay J @ jensoncrew says
Thank you so much for sharing the links!! I have been in search of affordable rectangle plated doorknobs. Your new knobs will look great!!
Stevie says
I love your picks! Those are what I thought y’all would choose, based on your historic love of ORB. :) The only reason I would have chosen differently is because my cat can (and loves to) open lever knobs! It makes me laugh so I always want to have them on doors he’s allowed to open.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s hilarious! If Burger could open them that would be a game changer for sure.
xo
s
Behany says
I don’t have levers, but my cat reaches up and smacks the doorknob repeatedly anyway to try to open doors. It’s so funny, and it makes me think he’s kind of a genius for at least knowing how doors work. Haha
YoungHouseLove says
Your cat sounds awesome. I love him.
xo
s
Jennie says
We have a cat who wraps his paws around the regular doorknob and wiggles it. He knows EXACTLY what needs to be done, but, alas (for him) he can’t quite get it. (If he only had thumbs!) Obviously, lever knobs are out of the question altogether in our house as well!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m having the best time picturing these hilarious cats.
xo
s
Amanda says
LOVE! I am slowly replacing all my knobs to new ORB ones as well. We had a nice new knob on our bedroom door and hubby locked it while we were on vacation. Still not sure why? We got home and realized the key was locked in the room. Long story short we now need a new door and knob. At the time beating the knob with a hammer then kicking the door in was so much more sensible than calling a locksmith.
#temporarilyinsaneafterbeinginacarwith4kids
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no!
xo
s
Callie says
GORGeous!! I totally approve of buying new knobs while you had all the hardware off the doors anyway! I was secretly hoping you guys would change out all the knobs/hinges but was wondering if you wouldn’t want to spend the money. I heartily approve of your balance between thrifty and “the little extra touches that make all the difference”! When we were repainting all the rooms in our house I convinced husband that we should get metal ORB switchplates for all the main light switches. It’s such a gorgeous touch and also helps guests intuitively know which are the main light switches (similar to the intuitive feel having separate closet/bathroom handles will have!).
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so nice!
xo
s
Amy says
Well, i liked 14, until i read the comments haha!
One of the first things we did to our house was strip the wallpaper in the kitchen, tile the backsplash and paint the cabinets. I recently had friends over and totally forgot that there was once wallpaper there! I totally know what you mean by “how quickly we forget!” bygones!!
Bree says
I guess I’ve been following you guys long enough that I was able to easily guess that #4 was the winner before I scrolled down!! I love the plate behind the knob.
julie. g. says
Love your pick! We actually have #14 which looks nice and have never had toruble with the kids. However, now that we are going with a more craftsman style, the stlye you picked would have rocked!
It is so difficult making choices when you are changing things bit by bit but trying to achieve a cohesive look at the end of the line!
With respect to upstairs it makes you wonder if the previous owners would have just put in the time and effort you did to make even the most basic upgrades like you have with floors, doors and trim how much more they could have sold their house for! But as we say about our house, if they did that, then we would not have been able to afford it, or ultimately have what we think makes our home uniquely ours! We are so excited to take this journey with you.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, when we finished the floors and trim upstairs we thought “I wonder how much the house would sell for now?!” and then we remembered the dated bathrooms and kitchens and thought “probably not much more” – haha!
xo
s
Bonnie says
“It’s funny how quickly your brain adjusts when you update things.” So true. We’ve been renovating a lake house for a year and I just decided to take our before & after pics & put them in a book, to remember just how different it was. Of course if I just had a blog . . . .
Lori says
It is unbelievable to see the difference that white doors and new flooring makes. It doesn’t even look like the same house!!
You mentioned you were thinking of doing ebony spindles – what is your opinion regarding matching a two-toned stairway to the color of existing wood floors?
YoungHouseLove says
Actually we’d love to do glossy white spindles with an ebony railing. We’ve seen that done with mocha toned floors and it’s a nice look (high contrast but still classic and not clashy). Should be fun!
xo
s
kristen says
Sounds like the Dunphy house! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Now we need a bad step that Phil can scream about every time he goes upstairs…
xo
s
Sherry@The Impatient Remodelers says
I love the knobs you picked! When we moved in last year the previous owners had updated the flat panel doors with brushed nickel knobs. But I can’t wait to replace the doors and put ORB knows on them…one day.
Teri says
Knob finish question for you. I’m going to have to replace our bedroom and bathroom knobs also. If I go with a rubbed bronze finish, do I need to change the bathroom fixtures to rubbed bronze? Should the entire house be either (kitchen fixtures included)nickle or rubbed bronze? Would mixing finishes look super tacky?
YoungHouseLove says
We don’t mind mixing metals. For example in our living room we had ORB curtain rods with an ORB mirror and silver lamps and a silver tray on the back of the console. They layered nicely and as long as there are more than two instances of each color, they look intentional and one doesn’t look mismatched. So if you do an ORB knob and curtain rod in the bathroom, I think the sink and shower hardware could be chrome if you like.
xo
s
Sarah says
If it bothers you, you can do what is called “split finish”. I work in the door industry.. on the high end homes we always provide split finish at the bathrooms so that all the finishes match.
For example.. your hall knob would be ORB but it would be screwed into a chrome one thats on the inside of your bathroom.
YoungHouseLove says
Smart!
xo
s
Rebecca says
The glass knobs remind me of all the ones in my parents house which is 100+ years old.
Stephanie says
I can’t not look at the before pictures and think, “THAT CARPET!!!!” Amazing how far the upper landing/hall has come!
julie. g. says
One more comment. We have switched alomost all of our hardware to ORB and for sink and shower fixtures. If anyone has good cleaning tips I would love to know what they are. The usual suspects for chrome, etc. just don’t seem to do the job.
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone have tips for Julie?
xo
s
Em says
Hi Julie–we have ORB fixtures and the only time I noticed that they weren’t cleaning up properly is when our water softener was out of whack. Since getting the softener re-resined, we haven’t had any issues with cleaning the fixtures and I just use Scrubbing Bubbles and Fantastik on them.
Missy says
Have you tried Norwex cleaning rags? They make my chrome and ORB faucets shine. I think 3M now makes similar rags (microfiber and polishing) that I have seen at Target.
John says
The hole in the knob allows you to unlock the bathroom knob from the outside with a metal pick, just encase a kid decides to not unlock the door or has an accident and can’t get to the door and unlock it. Unless you are not using a lock on the bathroom door.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, the ones without the hole there have it on the base of the knob (you stick the key into the base where it’s more hidden instead of the middle of the knob).
xo
s
Sherry@The Impatient Remodelers says
I love those ORB knobs! The previous owners of our house put new brushed nickel handles on the old flat paneled doors. I can’t wait to replace them one day and put ORB knobs and hinges…but it’s not a priority since they work we don’t have an excuse to do it.
But we painted the back of our front door black and painted the hand rail (going upstairs) black with white spindles (previous owners had painted it all white) and I love the contrast.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome!
xo
s
Laura says
Hi! When you buy the knobs (whether in bulk or not), do they come with the hinges to match? Or did you ORB the existing hinges and just replace the actual knobs? Excited to see the finished upstairs, everything looks great so far!
YoungHouseLove says
We got ORB hinges at Home Depot in a “contractor pack” for less money (buying in bulk = savings).
xo
s
nick says
dudes. that hallway looks boss. did i miss what y’all plan to do to the railing(s)? i assume refinish?
nick says
ahp, if i woulda looked a few comments above, there was my answer.
YoungHouseLove says
No worries!
xo
s
YoungHouseLove says
We only sprayed the trim that was above subfloor (we ripped up the carpets and sprayed what we could without worrying about the floor underneath). But since the stairs are wood and not subfloor we had to leave them for now, but eventually we’d love to protect them and then paint those spindles! The blue has to go! Right now we’re thinking of white for the spindles and ebony for the railing.
xo
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