Antique and reproduction hardware.(Design notes)(Charleston Hardware Company )

Charleston, South Carolina, is an exceptional historic city well-known for the preservation of its architectural heritage. Set along the waterfront and on tree-lined streets are numerous houses and public and commercial buildings, many of which date from before the Civil War. The exteriors and interiors of these varied structures show handsomely carved woodwork, finely crafted ironwork, and gleaming brass hardware.

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Brad Williams's purchase of a historic Charleston house that was missing its architectural hardware sent him combing through antiques shops and rummaging through salvage yards in search of authentic replacements. His quest was challenging, and he eventually started collecting antique hardware, restoring it, and selling it to the public through the Charleston Hardware Company, which he established in 1999. Several years later, and after many requests for matching hardware for entire houses, the company began manufacturing reproductions based on patterns it had collected. Today it offers both antique and reproduction lines, which include backplates, bin pulls, doorbells, door knockers, escutcheons, hooks, latches, doorknobs, and hinges.

The Charleston Hardware Company can replicate any piece of existing hardware. After its metal content is analyzed, the object is sand cast in iron, brass, or bronze, a process that, in addition to reproducing the shape of the original metal object also captures its texture, color, and detailing; it is then finished by hand.

Charleston Hardware is willing to reproduce pieces from ...