Edwardian villa porch with a gloss deep green half-glazed front door, Art Nouveau leaded glass and a polished nickel doctor knocker, centre knob and letter plate
Whole-home inspiration · Edwardian

The Edwardian villa: polished nickel from front door to bedroom

A deep green door with Art Nouveau glass, light painted rooms and the soft silver of polished nickel throughout.

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The look
Fittings
Polished nickel
Front door · pick one
Deep greenNavy
Outside
Red brickWhite woodworkTiled porch
Rooms · pick one
Warm creamPale blueBlush pink

A deep green or navy front door with Art Nouveau glass, white woodwork and warm red brick; inside, cream, pale blue or blush pink rooms, with polished nickel on every door from the knocker to the bathroom turn.

Up close
Light Edwardian hallway with cream walls, a picture rail, parquet floor and white four-panel doors with polished nickel reeded knobs Polished nickel doctor knocker above a polished nickel centre door knob on a deep green door between leaded glass panels Polished nickel letter plate on the middle rail of a gloss deep green door with the centre knob above Polished nickel reeded mortice knob on a white four-panel door, pale blue sitting room beyond Plain polished nickel mushroom knob on a white bedroom door, blush pink bedroom with an iron bedstead beyond Edwardian bathroom door with a polished nickel reeded knob and matching thumbturn below, roll-top bath beyond
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From the front door in

Gloss deep green Edwardian half-glazed front door with leaded glass and a polished nickel doctor knocker, centre knob, letter plate, cylinder pull and bell push 2 1 3 4 5
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Good to know

The story behind the Edwardian villa

EraEdwardian, 1901 to 1914
Trend statusRising: nickel is back as a warmer chrome
Inspired byArts & Crafts and Art Nouveau
SuitsEdwardian semis, villas & lighter period homes

Where it comes from

After the dark rooms of the Victorians, Edwardian houses let the light in. Halls and bedrooms were painted in creams and soft pastels with white woodwork, picture rails and parquet floors, while front doors kept their colour: deep green or navy, with leaded and stained glass in flowing Art Nouveau patterns.

Why polished nickel?

Nickel plating was the fashionable bright metal of the late Victorian and Edwardian years, on bathroom fittings, light switches and door furniture alike, long before chrome arrived. Polished nickel is a warmer, softer silver than chrome, so it suits creams and pastels without looking cold.

Why it still works

Designers are choosing nickel again as a warmer alternative to chrome. One finish on every door, from the knocker to the bathroom turn, gives the whole house a calm, joined-up feel, and the pale Edwardian palette lets it shine.

Getting it right

Plainer upstairs

Use reeded knobs on the main rooms and plain mushroom knobs in the bedrooms: the same finish, a quieter design.

Fit a 3in latch

Mortice knobs need a 3in (76mm) latch, deeper than the usual 2.5in, so your knuckles clear the door frame.

House numbers

There are no polished nickel numerals, so have the number signwritten in gold on the fanlight glass. It is a classic Edwardian touch.

Prefer a lever?

The slim Giselle lever on a rose sits happily alongside the knobs, and is easier for anyone who finds knobs hard to grip.