Navy Cottage Door with an Antique Brass Ring Knocker

Antique brass ring door knocker hanging from its small pivot block on a deep navy cottage front door

Front door · Country cottage

A navy cottage door with an antique brass ring knocker

Flint walls, a climbing rose and a deep navy door, finished simply: a ring knocker, a round knob and a slim letter plate in aged brass.

Shop the door Make it yours

The look

Fittings

Antique brass

Front door

Deep navy

Cottage

Knapped flintRed brickSlate step

Garden

Climbing roseHerbs

A Norfolk cottage of knapped flint and red brick, with a pale pink climbing rose over the door and an old boot scraper built into the wall. The four-panel door is a deep navy, and the fittings are kept small and plain to suit a modest cottage: a ring knocker rather than an ornate one, a round centre knob, a slim letter plate and small numbers. Antique brass sits softly against the flint and doesn't shout.

Up close

Norfolk flint and red brick cottage with a pantile roof, a pink climbing rose over a navy front door, foxgloves, lavender and a white picket gate

Antique brass round centre knob above a slim antique brass letter plate on a navy door, a pink rose petal resting on the plate

Antique brass cylinder pull with a euro cylinder on a navy door beside an antique brass bell push on red brick and flint

Antique brass reeded knob on an off-white cottage door opening onto a beamed sitting room with a brick inglenook and woodburner

Antique brass interior flap with an envelope beneath it on the inside of an off-white four-panel cottage door

Blue slate step with pots of herbs, a galvanised watering can and rose petals beside an old cast-iron boot scraper at a navy cottage door

Shop the door

Antique brass for a navy cottage door

Deep navy four-panel cottage front door in a flint and red brick wall under a pink climbing rose, fitted with antique brass number 2, ring knocker, round centre knob, letter plate, cylinder pull and bell push

4 1 5 6 2 3

Make it yours

Other antique brass knockers, knobs and letter plates

Scroll for more →

Good to know

Why a ring knocker suits a cottage door

Era18th and 19th century cottages

Trend statusEvergreen; navy is a top-three front door colour

Inspired byFlint and brick cottages of Norfolk and the Downs

SuitsNavy, dark green and black painted cottage doors

Small doors, small fittings

Cottage doors are often narrower and lower than townhouse doors, so large, ornate furniture can overwhelm them. A plain ring knocker, a round knob and a 254mm letter plate keep the scale right and let the paint colour and the climbing plants do the talking.

Navy and flint

Deep navy looks rich against grey flint and warm brick, and it hides the wear a country door gets from muddy boots and dogs. It also sets off antique brass better than black would, giving a gentle contrast instead of a stark one.

Why antique brass here

Antique brass already looks weathered, so it doesn't look out of place on an old cottage the way bright polished brass sometimes can. It needs no polishing: just a wipe with a dry cloth.

Planning a cottage door

Check the stile widths

Cottage doors can have narrow stiles. The centre knob's base is 76mm across, so make sure the centre stile is wide enough, or choose the 64mm faceted knob instead.

Small numbers suit small doors

The 51mm numbers shown here are better proportioned on a cottage door than the larger 76mm ones, especially on a top rail with little height.

Cover the letter cut-out

The 280mm interior flap covers the cut-out behind the 254mm letter plate and helps keep the draught out of the cottage.

Knobs inside

Reeded antique brass mortice knobs suit cottage interior doors that have been fitted with mortice latches; on ledged doors, fix them near the opening edge at a comfortable height.