“I recently restored two mantels I found at the Brass Knob, and underneath years of paint, there were two bisque angels and an incredible amount of detail,” says Washington, DC, interior designer Beth Peacock. “It’s impossible to find that kind of artisanship in new pieces today.” Peacock relies on the DC shop—and its 9,000-square-foot sister, The Brass Knob Back Doors Warehouse—for many of the projects she oversees, including a recently completed renovation on Capitol Hill for which she tapped the store for five fireplace mantels, not to mention lighting fixtures, door knobs and other hardware for nearly every room in the house.
Those of us outside, or even way outside, the Beltway can go online to view roughly 60 percent of the Brass Knob’s store inventory of architectural antiques. The Web catalog includes hardware, several types of lighting, decorative tiles, ironwork, columns, bath fixtures and stained glass, among other categories—items that date mostly from the mid-1800s through the 1930s. Owners Donetta George and Ron Allan—who Peacock says “could not be more knowledgeable or helpful”—are happy to answer questions, provide detailed digital photographs and ship anywhere. (via Elements of Living)