Off-white six-panel door standing open into a Georgian drawing room, with a polished brass rope-edge mortice door knob and wide oak floorboards
Interior inspiration · Georgian & Regency

Georgian interiors: polished brass knobs on six-panel doors

Soft off-white doors, tall sash windows and a gleaming brass knob on every door. The calm order of a Georgian house.

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The look
Fittings
Polished brass
Doors · pick one
Warm off-whiteChalky whiteGrey-greenBlue-grey
Walls · pick one
Plaster pinkStoneSoft grey
Floor
Waxed oak

Paint the doors a soft off-white or a quiet grey-green or blue-grey, the walls plaster pink, stone or soft grey, then add a polished brass knob to every door: rope-edge in the main rooms, reeded or beehive in a Regency drawing room, plain round in the bedrooms.

Up close
Regency drawing room with plaster pink walls, a gilt mirror and marble fireplace, seen past an off-white six-panel door with a polished brass reeded knob Close-up of a polished brass Georgian rope-edge mortice door knob on an off-white six-panel door Polished brass reeded mortice door knob on a grey-green painted six-panel door Polished brass beehive door knob on a reeded backplate on a blue-grey painted door Georgian bathroom door with a polished brass rope-edge knob and a matching bathroom turn below it, roll-top bath behind Plain round polished brass door knob on a chalky white six-panel bedroom door, four-poster bed beyond
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Everything for a Georgian door

Off-white Georgian six-panel door with a polished brass rope-edge knob, brass finger plate and brass hinges 3 2 1
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Good to know

The story behind Georgian door knobs

EraGeorgian & Regency, 1714 to 1830
Trend statusTimeless and period-correct
Inspired byPalladian order & Regency elegance
SuitsPeriod houses, townhouses & faithful restorations

Where it comes from

Georgian houses were planned in strict order: grand reception rooms, plainer bedrooms above and service rooms below. The doors followed the same hierarchy. Six-panel doors were the standard, and they were opened with knobs, not levers. Lever handles only became the norm in British homes in the twentieth century.

Why polished brass?

Brass was the prestige metal of the eighteenth century and was kept bright with regular polishing. Today's polished brass is lacquered, so it keeps that just-polished glow with a wipe. Rope-edge, reeded and beehive designs echo the mouldings and reeded details of the period. Prefer brass that ages? Unlacquered knobs darken to a soft patina.

Why it still works

A round brass knob against soft off-white paint is quietly beautiful and suits almost any colour scheme. Keep one finish through the house and vary the design from room to room, and your doors feel considered rather than bought as a job lot.

Getting it right

Fit a 3in latch

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

One finish, several designs

Keep polished brass on every door and change the knob instead: decorative in the main rooms, plainer upstairs. That is how Georgian houses did it.

Bathrooms need a turn

Pair mortice knobs with a matching turn and release on the bathroom door, or choose the beehive knob on a bathroom plate, which has the turn built in.

Listed house?

Keep original doors where you can and refit knobs to the existing holes. In a listed building, check with your conservation officer before replacing doors.