Antique brass urn door knocker on a glossy chocolate brown panelled front door
Whole home · Edwardian terrace

Chocolate brown and antique brass

Brown is back as a warm, grown-up neutral. Here it runs from a glossy front door to the internal doors, with antique brass on every one.

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The look
Fittings
Antique brass
Doors
Chocolate brown
House
PuttyCream stoneRust linen
Floors
Oak

An Edwardian terrace that has swapped grey for brown. The front door is a glossy, warm chocolate, set off by a cream doorcase and a chequered step, and the same colour carries on inside on the internal doors, with putty walls, oak floors, rust linen and cane. Antique brass suits brown far better than chrome: on the front door an urn knocker, a centre knob, a letter box and a cylinder pull, and inside, reeded knobs that are good to hold.

Up close
Edwardian red-brick terrace with cream bay windows and doorcases, the centre house with a glossy chocolate brown front door, bay trees and a chequered path Antique brass cylinder pull and the corner of an antique brass letter box with an envelope on a glossy chocolate brown door Antique brass reeded mortice knob on a chocolate brown painted internal door Antique brass reeded knob and reeded turn on a chocolate brown bathroom door beside a roll-top bath and brass tap Edwardian hallway with putty walls, a dado rail, oak floor, a rust runner, cane chairs and chocolate brown panelled doors with antique brass knobs Edwardian sitting room with a rust linen sofa, cane armchair, cast iron fireplace, jute rug and bay window, a chocolate brown door with an antique brass knob
Shop the front door

Antique brass for a chocolate brown door

Glossy chocolate brown four-panel Edwardian front door in a cream doorcase with a chequered step and bay trees, fitted with an antique brass urn knocker, centre knob, letter box and cylinder pull 1 4 2 3
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Good to know

Why brown is the new neutral

EraEdwardian terrace, 1901 to 1914
Trend statusRising; chocolate and coffee browns are replacing grey
Inspired byWarm, layered 1970s-tinged interiors
SuitsPainted timber front doors and internal doors

Warmer than grey, softer than black

After years of grey, many people are choosing deep browns for doors and woodwork. Brown has the depth of black without its hardness, and it sits naturally with oak floors, terracotta and natural fabrics.

Antique brass and brown

Chrome and nickel can look cold against brown, while bright polished brass can feel a little brash. Antique brass has a softer, slightly darkened finish that sits in the same warm family, so the fittings look rich rather than flashy.

Carry it through

Using the same colour on the front door and the internal doors makes a house feel joined up. The knobs change, from a centre knob on the front door to reeded mortice knobs inside, but the finish stays the same.

Planning notes

Space the front door fittings

Fix the knocker high on the centre line, the centre knob on the lock rail and the letter box on the middle rail, with the cylinder pull near the opening edge at chest height.

Size the letter box to the rail

The 254x102mm letter box suits a deep middle rail. On a narrower rail choose the 79mm high version.

Reeded knobs inside

Mortice knobs need a latch with a long enough backset so knuckles clear the frame. Use the reeded turn and release on the bathroom door to match.

Gloss for front doors

A gloss finish on a front door is tougher and wipes clean easily. Inside, eggshell gives a softer look on internal doors.