Forged black monkey tail lever with a spiral curl on a long hammered backplate, on a heritage green boarded composite door
Front door · Modern farmhouse

Forged black on a heritage green cottage door

A hand-forged look for a modern composite door: a curling monkey tail lever, a heavy ring knocker and a hammered letter plate.

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The look
Fittings
Forged black
Front door
Heritage green
House
Soft red brickLime renderGreen oak
Garden
GravelLavender

A new farmhouse-style home in soft red brick and lime render, with an open oak porch and a gravel path. The cottage composite door is a soft heritage green with vertical boards and a small four-pane window, and its fittings are forged black: a monkey tail lever that curls into a spiral, a heavy ring knocker and a hammered letter plate. They give a brand-new door the hand-made character of an old farmhouse, while working with its modern multipoint lock.

Up close
Black serif number 3 above a hammered forged black bull ring knocker on a heritage green boarded door Farmhouse-style new build in red brick and lime render with a slate roof, cream casement windows and an oak porch over a green front door, gravel and lavender Forged black hammered architectural letter plate on a heritage green composite door, a paper bag of farm eggs on the gravel below Forged black monkey tail lever curling into a spiral above a brass euro cylinder with a key and tan leather fob Heritage green cottage door under an oak porch at dusk, a black lantern glowing and forged black fittings silhouetted against the door Farmhouse boot room with flagstones, an oak bench, black coat hooks and wellies, the green front door seen through the doorway
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Forged black for a cottage composite door

Heritage green boarded composite front door with a small four-pane window under an oak porch, fitted with a black number 3, forged black bull ring knocker, architectural letter plate and monkey tail lever 4 2 1 3
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Other forged and antique black handles and knockers

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Good to know

Why forged black suits a farmhouse-style door

EraNew build in a farmhouse style
Trend statusPopular; modern country is a top-three UK style
Inspired byOld farmhouse ironwork on modern cottage doors
SuitsGreen, cream, grey and oak-effect cottage composite doors

Old-fashioned ironwork, modern door

Cottage-style composite doors copy the boards and small windows of old farmhouse doors, but standard chrome or gold handles give the game away. Forged black fittings with a hammered texture finish the look properly, like the blacksmith-made ironwork they imitate.

The monkey tail

The monkey tail lever is named after the tight spiral at its tip, a shape blacksmiths used for centuries on gate latches and window stays. Here it is made for a composite door's multipoint lock, with a long backplate that covers the old fixing holes.

Black against soft green

Muted heritage greens are among the most popular colours for cottage doors, and black is the natural partner. It echoes the black lantern, gutter and window furniture, and doesn't compete with brick or oak.

Before you order

Left or right handed

Because of the curl, monkey tail levers are handed: the spiral must point away from the door edge. The pair shown suits a door with the handle on the left and the hinges on the right, seen from outside. For the opposite, choose the LH version, and check the product page before ordering.

Measure the lock centres

These handles are for multipoint locks with 92mm between the spindle and the keyhole. Measure yours before ordering.

A plainer alternative

If you prefer a straight lever, the Noble handle has the same forged black finish and isn't handed.

Fixing a knocker to composite

Face-fix the bull ring knocker into the solid door skin away from the window and boards' grooves, using its fixing plate; check there's no glazing or reinforcement behind before drilling.