Start with the material, not the shape
If you’re restoring a piece or just upgrading tired hardware, the single biggest upgrade is moving from plated or hollow knobs to solid brass. Every knob in our hammered collection is turned from a single piece of solid brass and then hand-hammered, so the surface carries small irregular facets that catch the light as you walk past. There’s no plating to wear through and no hollow shell — you feel the weight the moment you pick one up. (The 30 mm ball knob alone is 118 g; the 35 mm round knob is 179 g.)
That weight and warmth is why solid brass reads as “furniture-grade” rather than “flat-pack.”
Three hammered profiles
All three are solid brass and hand-hammered; they differ in silhouette and how they sit on the door or drawer:
- Ball knob (Hammered Ball Knob) — a sphere on a short stem. Sizes 20 × 27 mm up to 30 × 37 mm. The most traditional, reads almost like a small doorknob.
- Round knob (Hammered Round Knob) — a low disc, 18–35 mm diameter. Because it’s round, the underside is machined with a small flat so it seats squarely against the face and pulls down tight — no base plate needed. Lowest profile of the three.
- Seated-base knob (Hammered Knob with Base) — same hammered ball, but sitting on a raised round base. The base lifts the knob slightly off the surface for a more substantial, deliberate feel. Sizes 20 × 26 mm to 30 × 38 mm.
Size and weight: what actually changes
Diameter mostly affects how the knob looks and fills the hand; height affects how far it stands proud. For a kitchen drawer you’ll usually want 25–30 mm; for a delicate jewelry box or cabinet door, 18–20 mm keeps it proportional. Weight scales with size — if a drawer feels cheap, a heavier 30 mm knob is often the fix.
All three are sold individually and include an M4 × 25 mm mounting screw, so mixing and matching across a project is straightforward.
Finish and patina
The hammered surface is polished to a warm gloss that shows the facets. Left alone, solid brass slowly deepens to a soft antique tone — desirable for period restoration. If you prefer it bright, a periodic wipe with a brass cloth keeps the shine.
Where they work best
- Kitchen and bath cabinet refreshes
- Restoring mid-century and vintage case pieces
- Anywhere a small, honest piece of metal upgrades the whole object
If you’re also labeling or dating a restored piece, our custom engraved brass nameplates make a natural companion accent.
Knob or Pull? Single Hole vs Two
A knob is a single-hole fitting — one screw, one point of contact, the traditional choice for furniture, dressers and cupboard doors. A pull or handle is a two-hole fitting, and the number that matters there is the center-to-center spacing: the distance between the two screw holes, usually 64 mm, 96 mm or 128 mm on modern cabinetry. Before you buy, decide which you need. If your drawer or door already has two holes, measure that spacing so a replacement pull lines up — or choose a knob and fill one hole (see “Matching or Filling Old Holes” below). Every hammered knob in this collection is single-hole, which keeps the installation to one drilled point and one screw.
How to Measure for a Replacement Knob
You only need three quick measurements, and none require special tools:
- Panel thickness — the M4 × 25 mm screw supplied suits panels up to about 19 mm thick. For thicker solid-wood doors, step up to a 30–35 mm M4 screw (available at any hardware store).
- Bore position — on a drawer front, measure from the top or side edge to the center of the existing hole, so the new knob sits exactly where the old one did and the row stays consistent.
- Clearance — make sure a 30–35 mm knob won’t collide with an adjacent door or an open drawer above it once fitted.
No existing hole? Mark the center with a pencil, punch a small starter dimple, then drill with a 5 mm bit and a pilot to avoid splitting the wood.
Knob Size and Drawer Proportion
A knob should feel like part of the piece, not bolted on. As a practical rule of thumb: drawers under 30 cm wide take an 18–22 mm knob; 30–60 cm drawers take 25–30 mm; wide 60 cm+ drawers or paired doors suit 30–35 mm. Taller, heavier doors read better with a seated-base knob, whose raised foot gives the hand more to grip and the door more visual weight. When in doubt, hold a coin against the drawer to preview the scale before you drill — a €2 coin or US quarter is about 24 mm, a good stand-in for a 25 mm knob.
Installing Brass Knobs in Five Minutes
It’s a genuine beginner job, and you can refresh a whole kitchen in an afternoon:
- Lay the doors or drawers flat and mark every hole center with a pencil.
- Tape a simple printed drilling template across a row so multiple knobs line up perfectly.
- Drill a 5 mm through-hole with a pilot bit to prevent tear-out on veneered fronts.
- Insert the M4 screw from the back, thread the knob on, and snug it by hand — brass is a soft metal, so don’t over-tighten or you’ll strip the thread.
- Stand back and check the row is level before the screw fully sets.
Matching or Filling Old Holes
Switching from a two-hole pull to a single knob leaves one exposed hole on the face. The neat fix is a matching wood filler or a small dowel with touch-up stain; a seated-base knob also helps, because its wider foot covers more of the surrounding surface. Going the other way — from a knob to a pull — simply means drilling two new holes at your measured center-to-center spacing. Either way, solid brass takes filler and stain well, so the repair disappears.
If you’re planning a full hardware refresh across a room, our complete guide to solid brass furniture hardware walks through knobs, pulls, hinges and leg caps together, so every fitting in the space stays consistent.
Frequently asked questions
Are these solid brass or plated?
Solid brass throughout — no plating, no hollow shell. The weight confirms it: the 30 mm ball knob alone is 118 g.
What screw do they use?
Each knob ships with an M4 × 25 mm mounting screw, standard for most cabinet doors and drawers.
Ball, round or base — which should I pick?
Ball for traditional; round for a low-profile modern look; base for a heavier, furniture-grade presence. All are solid brass and inter-mixable.
Will they patina?
Yes, slowly, to an antique tone — expected and desired for restoration. Keep them bright with a brass cloth if you prefer.
Knob or pull for a heavy drawer?
A pull spreads the pull force across two screws and is easier on a wide, heavy drawer; a single knob is fine for lighter drawers and doors. If a drawer ever feels like it’s tearing the screw out, switch that one to a two-hole pull rather than forcing a knob.
What if my panel is thicker than 19 mm?
Swap the supplied M4 × 25 mm screw for an M4 × 30–35 mm screw. The knob threads are standard M4, so any hardware-store screw of that length threads right in.