She Turns Thrifted Door Knobs Into An Elegant Statement Piece With A Clever DIY

Opportunity knocks in the most unique ways... sometimes in the form of an old door knob. That's especially true when you come across a decorative glass knob. Even if it's no longer in service as an actual door hardware, it can still take on new life in a home décor piece. You can turn old door knobs into extra clothing storage, for example. TikTok creator April Calder took inspiration in the intricate details of some thrifted crystal knobs and turned them into shelf décor. She attached them to the top of thin brass candlestick holders to create elegant decorations.

You can buy new crystal door knobs for this DIY, but thrifting them gives the project a vintage touch — and your décor will have a story behind it. Some glass door knobs date back to the early 1800s. You likely won't find any that are that old at thrift stores, but you could find some vintage options at secondhand shops or architectural salvage shops (the best place to find vintage details for your home).

For the base, thrift vintage brass candleholders if you can find them. If not, buy new metal candle holders. You can age them to make them look older or spray paint it to change the look. While the inspiration project uses individual candle holders, you can also use a candelabra and top the multiple spots with knobs. Or, add the crystal decorations on a wall-mounted candle holder. You'll need some glue to secure the knobs to the candleholders. And you can leave them plain for a simple design, but you can also dress up the display with embellishments like fringe, beads, and ribbon.

The basic process is to attach the door knob so it faces up on the top of the candle holder (where the candle would go). To do this, you may need to remove some of the door hardware, depending on what's still attached. Test out different combinations of knobs and candle holders to find ones that match up well size-wise. If you want to change the color of the candle holder, spray paint it before you attach the knob to avoid overspray. When you find a good combination, use hot glue or E6000 to attach the two pieces. 

Then, add the extra detailing that you want to use. Adding felt along the bottom of a metal candle holder can prevent the piece from scratching your shelves. You can also add a wooden platform that's slightly larger than the base for extra height and another texture. Other ideas include wrapping twine around the stem of the candleholder, attaching small beads around the base, or tying ribbons around it. If there's an awkward game between the base of the knob and the holder top, fill it in with air-dry clay, thick twine, braided fabric strips, or other materials.

Styling the pieces can be as simple as placing them on a shelf, whether you use a single one or arrange them in groups — three of them together is usually a good way to draw the eye. You could use it as a home office DIY to spruce up your workstation. The heft makes it an ideal paper weight. You can also weave fairy lights in between multiple of the door knob pieces. Or, dress them up for different holidays with extra little accents, like pine boughs around the bases in the winter.