How to Find Period Fixtures

From doorknob to dado, finding appropriate fixtures is key to the restoration of a period home. Booming interest in vintage decor has spread from purists to home owners who wish to retain the original spirit of their home. Do your research and pay attention to the details.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Contact your local library, historical society and similar organizations for photographs, artifacts and other research materials from nearby houses of the same period as yours. Those buildings probably share similar features that may remain even if your house's are gone.

2. Visit museums and tour historic sites until you learn to recognize the proportions and details of pieces appropriate to your house's period. Browse vintage books and magazines.

3. Subscribe to magazines that focus on restoring and decorating older homes. Their advertising is your direct route to period-sensitive new products, such as cabinets inspired by the Colonial, Victorian or Arts and Crafts eras.

4. Look for catalogs and Web sites related to settlements such as colonial Williamsburg and groups such as the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Products licensed by such sources must meet strict standards of authenticity.

5. Join historic preservation organizations to meet like-minded home owners who have faced similar shopping challenges.

6. Attend home shows to identify craftspeople and repair shops you can hire to duplicate or re-create custom items.

7. Shop at estate auctions and antique shops for early chandeliers, sconces and ceiling-light fixtures. Take a magnet with you to determine the metal finishes. It will stick to steel or iron but not bronze or copper.

8. Find period-looking knobs, pulls, latches, hinges, house numbers and other hardware from many catalog sources and at boutique shops.

9. Play detective in your own home to find traces of old paint and wallpaper, covered-up flooring and structural clues partially hidden by previous remodeling work. Explore your attic and basement for dismantled house parts. Be careful when dealing with lead-based paint and avoid contact with asbestos insulation.

10. Explore salvage yards for vintage plumbing fixtures. Sinks and tubs are easy to find, and most are in remarkably good shape. If they're not, porcelain reglazing services can repair dings and scratches to make surfaces look good as new.

11. Work with a lumberyard or woodworking shop to locate periodstyle millwork, wainscoting, doors, windows and mantels.

Tips & Warnings

• Need a fresh background for your period finds? Several paint companies have created well-researched historic palettes of appropriate hues.
• To replace or supplement damaged tile or wallpaper, contact firms that specialize in matching existing materials. If they can't find more, they may reproduce your originals.
• Examine flea-market buys carefully for repairs and signs of wear. Beware of reproductions being advertised as antiques. Get written documentation of an item's age and provenance.
• Update wiring on old lamps and light fixtures for safe operation.