Dark stained panelled door with an antique brass reeded knob on a stepped round rose, opening onto a hallway with cream walls above dark wood dado panelling, botanical prints, matching brass knobs on the doors beyond and a patterned runner on an oak floor
Interior inspiration · Panelled hallway

Reeded antique brass on dark wood doors

A long hallway of dark stained doors and dado panelling, with the same ribbed antique brass knob repeated on every door.

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The look
Fittings
Antique brass
Doors & panelling
Dark walnut
Walls
Warm creamChalk white ceiling
Floor
Oak boardsMadder runnerIndigo runner

Near-black walnut on the doors and dado panels, warm cream plaster above, oak boards and a rust and indigo runner underfoot, with the soft gold of antique brass at hand height on every door.

Up close
Close-up of an antique brass reeded knob on a stepped round rose fixed with four screws, on a dark wood door, with an antique brass keyhole escutcheon and key below Antique brass reeded knob on the edge of a half-open dark wood door, looking into a cream panelled hallway with botanical prints and a long patterned runner Side view of an antique brass reeded knob on a dark panelled door, with a matching knob on the next door along the panelled wall
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Everything for a dark wood door

Hallway of dark panelled doors, each with an antique brass reeded mortice knob 1
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Good to know

Why reeded brass suits dark wood

EraVictorian and Edwardian
Trend statusBack in favour: reeding is everywhere again
Inspired byPanelled halls and dark-stained joinery
SuitsPeriod houses with stained or dark painted doors

Where it comes from

Ribbed brass knobs, often called beehive knobs, were fitted throughout Victorian and Edwardian houses, where stained pine or mahogany doors and dark dado panelling were the norm in halls and landings. Knobs, not levers, were the standard on internal doors well into the twentieth century.

Why reeded antique brass?

The rings of reeding catch light on their edges and fall dark in the grooves, so the knob reads clearly against a dark door instead of disappearing into it. Antique brass is darkened and lacquered, so it has the mellow colour of old brass from the start and won't look brand new against aged-looking wood.

Why it still works

Dark doors can feel heavy, and a small point of warm metal on each one breaks them up. Repeated down a corridor, the same knob gives the hall a rhythm, and the cream walls above the panelling keep the space light.

Getting it right

Fit a 3in latch

These are mortice knobs, so each door needs a tubular latch. Use a 3in (76mm) latch rather than the usual 2.5in, so your knuckles clear the frame as you turn the knob. The knobs are half sprung: 55mm across on a 60mm rose, projecting 85mm.

Keyholes and bathrooms

Where a door locks with a key, add the 53mm key escutcheon on the same plain round rose. On the bathroom, the 53mm turn and release locks from inside and opens from outside with a coin in an emergency.

Swap the hinges too

Bright steel hinges stand out on dark wood. Antique brass butt hinges, 102x67mm and sold in pairs with screws, match the knobs; use three on a heavy door.

Protect the panelling

A knob projecting 85mm will dent plaster or panelling. Fit the projection door stop to the skirting or wall, or the small oval floor stop where the door swings over open floor. A finger plate on the push side saves the finish on a dark stained door.