Recently I took my children to visit the Eisenhower Farm. The 18th or 19th century home adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield was renovated and added on to 1953. Because it was about the same time my grandparents built their own home, it reminded me a lot of their house in terms of the details. These same details were the things that my daughters fixed on–without me even pointing them out–when we toured. The switch plates and vent registers were not made of plastic or flimsy metal like they usually are in modern homes. I went hunting to find what is still available in a similar vein.
House of Antique Hardware has an array of mainly bronze and brass switch plate covers that are organized by architectural style. There are quite a lot of tiny masterpieces of different materials from different on-line retailers. Finished hardwood, both elegant and whimsical molded resin and traditional porcelain or ceramic tile covers are some of the options.
Register covers are another item we commonly overlook as purely functional, when there are some truly lovely pieces out there to make a functional item into a beautiful detail that enhances the home.
Based upon how truly amazed my girls were to see these things, I cannot help but imagine the impact they bring to a custom building project…or what a difference they would make if I changed them out in our home!
