apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Great idea. Wonder if it would be too much to have that AND a peep hole?

When I was growing up a neighbor had one of these and we used to love to turn it. Definitely a wonderful sound. I'd like to see more of these in use.

Oooh, that brings back memories. A family friend that was dear to us (who has since passed on) had one of these on his front door. We used to LOVE going to visit him, and we'd fight over who got to turn the "ringing key" every single time. I'd love to find one of these.

I love this idea! It's so romantic and quaint!

A lot of people (myself included) have these in San Francisco. I love not ever having to worry about batteries, blackouts, etc. affecting my doorbell.

However, a lot of my friends still don't realize it's there (it's kind of mid-door) and end up banging on my door....

I have one of these bells on my house and it is LOUD...but I love it.

http://renovationtherapy.wordpress.com/2008/04/29/knock-knock-whos-there-the-headboard-bench/

Mine is an old brass one.

My great-grandma had one of these on her door for ages. It was heavy and flower-shaped and had many many coats of paint caked on it. It held memories so dear that when Great-grandma Minnie passed away and her things were being sorted among the grandchildren, the one thing that my mother requested was that doorbell.

I sell antique and vintage hardware on my web site http://www.historichomehardware.com/store/ and the mechanical doorbells are definitely a favorite! When installed through a door they are much more frequently at mid height where the door stiles meet. In addition to the "twist" style there are also many lever and pull options as well. In my listings you can also find pages from antique hardware catalogs that show the many ways doorbells can be installed. Some hardware even tells your guests what to do - Turn or Push! Fun to look at and if you have any questions, by all means ask!