Add to Del.icio.us
Digg this Article
Add to Mixx
With varying shades of violet depicting a whimsical facade, The Brass Knob continues to turn heads once inside with its floor-to-ceiling chandeliers, wall sconces, lampposts, and candelabras. “We try to keep a variety of everything,” says Donetta George, who along with Ron Allan, owns this architectural antiques store and The Back Doors Warehouse.
In 1970, Allan began collecting salvaged architectural pieces so that one day he could build a unique dwelling. Before long, he’d accumulated enough vintage wares to fill several garages in the DC area.
With a background in interior design, George partnered with him to form the stores that offer a collection of antique doorknobs, lighting, mantels as well as bathtubs and oversized items. The two stores located near one another in Adams Morgan have provided prominent pieces for local restaurants, such as Cactus Cantina and Maggiano’s, as well as props for movies including The Pelican Brief, A Few Good Men, and The Manchurian Candidate.
Even though many items are more than 100 years old, they are purchased to enhance both modern and antique architecture. Customers, who include homeowners, designers and architects, are “so creative,” George says. People are learning that “you don’t have to have an old house to use old things.”
