Speak Easy Or Forever Hold Your Peace
Speakeasy meant just what it sounded like, Speak. Easy. As in, "Go easy on speaking about this totally illegal bar, there's a Prohibition on alcohol sales out there!" Between 1920 and 1933 proprietors of speakeasys usually placed a couple of hired goons behind a heavy, solid door but needed to be able to see who to let in. Enter the speakeasy. (With a password, of course.)
Prohibition ended 86 years ago but the tiny window lives on. This security feature is alive and well in many older homes. A house or piece of furniture are only as good as their hardware. The charm of this antique is met literally at the front door or wooden gate. It is the first impression and with a speakeasy you can bet there will be an inherent air of mystery.
To add to the clandestine nostalgia, there are plenty of styles. From portholes, Victorian designs, Art Deco, to twisted wrought iron grilles; there’s a style for just about anyone. Some feature a door knocker, glass for insulation or even double sided mirror. It’s a tiny window into a time gone by, the Emerald City or just your entryway. Hippo has many great speakeasys in our hardware department (hired goons not included).
DIY Bottle Opener with Bottle-Top Catcher!
Looking for a fun DIY project that you can custom design for your friends and fellow beer/soda/kombucha drinkers? One that won’t cost a fortune? One that is easy and you could make several in one hour? We’ve got the perfect project for you that is also perfect for your friends: a bottle opener with cap catcher!
Here’s the materials you will need (you can find them all at Hippo or you may even have some of them lying around your home.)
-a piece of board
-bottle opener (wall mounted)
-vintage tin can/small tin pail/mason jar/etc to catch the bottle tops in
-screws or nails
-screw driver/hammer
-any extra embellishments (ie: the lid to the tin can, letters, etc)
Step one:
Lay everything out on your piece of wood—make sure you’ve got the lengths right and are able to fit a bottle underneath the opener.
Step two:
Start screwing! Assemble everything—we suggest starting at the top and working your way down.
Look what you made!
For the friend who likes a pop of color:
For the practical friend who enjoy ease of usage:
For the rustic enthusiast:
Step three:
Wrap that awesome gift up and be prepared for your friends and fellow beer drinkers to be delighted when they see their custom-made bottle openers!
PS: want to go for a modern look? Try these with mason jars! A little less personal but no less useful plus we have brackets to secure them!
Hippo's Top 10 Easy Fixes for Your Home This Holiday Season
Fall is only a month away and that means the holidays can’t be too far off. And we all know holidays mean family and visitors that most likely will want to bunk at your place. But what if your home isn’t ready for visitors? Don’t fret, Hippo friends—we are here for you with our top 10 easy fixes to get your home ready for those holiday-time home crashers!
1) Make sure you have plenty of hooks! Though this one seems simple think of that huge coat pile that will undoubtedly end up on your bed if you don’t have enough hooks for coats, purses, hats, etc.
2) Check those door handles and make sure they are set correctly on the spindles lest they break at an inopportune moment. No Aunt Phyllis stuck in the bathroom this year!
3) Speaking of doors. It’s time to check on/replace those springs in your mortise locks. Heaven forbid it breaks and now your door won’t lock. Your guests and family will thank you.
4) Do you live in an old home with NO lock on your bathroom door? It might be a great time to add a simple slide bolt to keep those knock-while-entering visitors at bay.
6) You’ve got a gorgeous light fixture but it’s broken, and sure, you will get it rewired someday. . . but man that would suck if you wait too long and it burned the whole place down. There’s no time like the present to drop a little money and get that puppy UL certified! Safety first, friends.
7) Are your guest rooms dark and gloomy? Add a beautiful vintage lamp and give your guests some reading light so they aren’t keeping you up all night instead.
8) Guests and visitors mean time to stock up on bathroom accessories like towel bars and soap holders! God forbid your cousin and her kids pile all their wet towels on top of yours. Gross.
9) Make sure those hinge pins (especially on your bathroom doors!) are tapped down as you wouldn’t want your doors falling off. . . at the inopportune moment. And while you’re at it, replace your ugly boring hinges with beautiful vintage ones.
10) Who needs more mirrors? You do! So do your guests! As Mary Poppins says, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” She’s probably quoting someone else, but the point remains: a beautiful vintage mirror adds that practically perfect touch and every room needs at least one.
Want to know the best thing about this list? You can find everything (and so much more) at Hippo Hardware! Plus our experts are here to give you advice whether you want it or not, helpful hints and tips and general emotional support as family-time draws near.
Spindle Kits Redux
Since the spindle kit is one our best selling items, we felt it merited a blog post to explain the increase in our price from $10 to $20. Our wholesale costs rose dramatically these past few months due to (we've been told) the price of steel. We'd like to offer a few options:
1) Our original threaded/tapped spindle kit which is great for saving lovely old doorknobs on a threaded spindle. See our blog post all about how to fix antique doorknobs here. These are still our favorite option, but the cost is higher.
2) We have started carrying a less expensive reproduction straight tapped spindle kit. These will function the exact same as our threaded/tapped spindles once your knobs are mounted. Getting them on, however, might be more difficult depending on your set. These spindles do not have any threads so if you're using them with a threaded doorknob where the threads are damaged, you may have to file out the remaining threads to get this spindle to work.
3) Threaded spindles (thread 16, thread 18, and thread 20) which work if your threads are still in good shape however you will need to know the thread size in your knob. Our wholesale on these spindles has not gone up so the prices remain much lower.
Thanks for your patience while we've gotten this sorted out. Please keep us posted on how best to help you our with your projects.
DIY Projects with Salvaged Antique Doors
Here at Hippo Hardware, re-purposing discarded material is a pillar of our business, a personal passion, and a stylish way to include the past in our modern lives.
A favorite starting material for many of our customers is a salvaged door. Not only does a door make a great statement piece, but the quality of construction are rarely matched in our modern era. With some delicate sifting, we would love to share some of our favorite projects!
Hall Tree
Hall trees reached their peak of popularity during the Victorian era. Although they can be difficult to find today, a DIY version is easily within reach.
With a few doors, some gorgeous vintage hardware, and a little elbow grease, a stunning and practical hall tree is made. Add a mirror or a shoe rack to organize your entry space!
Bench
With the same convenience as standard lumber, doors can also be used to craft some amazing seating options. From a cottage style, deep sitting chair to a wonderfully weathered swinging bench for your patio, the possibilities are truly endless.
Table
We love this innovative yet the simple design by far is a hanging table suspended by vintage styled hemp rope.
And don't overlook doors for a statement DIY coffee or end table. You can impress your company and customize it to your personal needs and space.
Bookcase
A simple slice down the length of a 4 or 6 panel door creates the perfect ends for an elegant, stylish bookcase. Creative organization can easily be conquered with some simple planning.
Room Divider
Both glass and solid panel doors can be suspended from the ceiling to create amazing room dividers!
Alternatively, hinge doors together for a folding screen using whatever doors fit your fancy. Great for photo shoots as well!
Sliding Doors
Whether you call them barn doors, stall doors, or sliding doors, a rail and matching hardware quickly turns any door into the centerpiece of your creative space.
Mirror
Some antique doors have a great place for an inset for a mirror. Selecting a door with unique character is always best. You can guarantee everyone will be looking right at it!
Chalkboard
Yet another beautiful use for the inset panels of a door are chalkboards or corkboards. This popular and affordable DIY project is easy to personalize for your own space and needs. Chalkboard paint along with corkboard can be obtained at most hobby and craft stores.
Whatever your DIY project is, our architecture department is a treasure trove of materials ripe for re-purposing. We’d love to help you get your next project started or help you find that finishing touch so bring us your ideas, pictures and let us help you bring those DIY dreams to life.
DIY No Soliciting Signs
So, I was recently having a small conundrum: I want a No Soliciting sign on my door but I just don't love my options out there. I have heard many customers expressing the same sentiment and I just today figured out a solution I'm exciting about - label holders! Yes - perhaps it seems obvious now, but I just realized how awesome and varied label holders are and how easy it would be to make my own attractive sign. I chose a large one because my front door is up off the street and I'd prefer folks get the message before ascending my stairs.
Personally, my handwriting is atrocious (thank god for the keyboard, I say) but I have friends who know how to make pretty things. Likewise you could paint something, print something, or type it on a typewriter. So many great options! Here is what I ended up with:
My very talented friend Thea Gahr made painted this beautiful sign with watercolor. I absolutely love seeing it every time I come home. We did have a slight misunderstanding which is why the sign is a big smaller. I did decide to laminate the sign both to preserve the art as well as make up for the space between the frame and the sign.
Setting it up was easy as pie - just mount the label holder to the door
Cut the sign to size
And then slide it into place (my frame was slightly open on the top which is the most common).
This structure would also work great for other signs, such as: Please Remove Your Shoes, Please Turn Off the Light, or Thank You for Not Smoking. Most label holders are much smaller - around 3" x 2". We have some great label holders online right now - this copper black japanned one, this classic brass one, this lovely and unusual iron Victorian one, and this fantastic arts and crafts brass guy.
Anyone out there have some cool DIY signs they've made? Post them in the comments below!
A Short but Sweet Pictorial History of Escutcheons
es·cutch·eon (aka. door back plates)
/əˈskəCHən/
noun: escutcheon
- a shield or emblem bearing a coat of arms.
- a flat piece of metal for protection and often ornamentation, around a keyhole, door handle, or light switch.
Origin: late 15th century: from Anglo-Norman French escuchon, based on Latin scutum ‘shield.’
No matter what you call them by, we have a huge collection of stunning pieces. Ranging from ornately decorated Victorian to stream-lined art deco and everything in between, Hippo has your era covered.
They truly don't make them like they used to--this late 1800s Victorian-era escutcheon boasts an intricate design and a key hole cover:
This Victorian "reole" pattern piece has tiny carved roses, scroll work and elegant lines:
This piece is from approx 1910 and has a japanned finish:
These craftsman/mission styles are minimalist yet stately in both shape and design:
These art deco pieces are iconic in both design and shape with their tell-tale stream-lined yet glitzy details from the 20s through the 40s:
This art deco has a lovely sunburst-like pattern:
Unfortunately the intricate patterns and classic styles were only made through the 1940s. This classic mid-century escutcheon and door set has become the new modern standard.
A far cry from this row of design and craftsmanship:
(DIY hint: don’t want to use them on a door? Use them as a backplate for hooks or anything else you want to display!)
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Recent Articles
- Speak Easy Or Forever Hold Your Peace
- DIY Bottle Opener with Bottle-Top Catcher!
- Hippo's Top 10 Easy Fixes for Your Home This Holiday Season
- Spindle Kits Redux
- DIY Projects with Salvaged Antique Doors
About Us
Hippo Hardware is an eclectic building salvage store specializing in hardware, lighting, architecture and plumbing from 1860-1960. We also offer assorted collectibles, trinkets, whatnots, and whoziwhatsits depending on what we get in. The spirit of Hippo Hardware is to rejoice in the individual, the unique, and the original.
Hippo Hardware was officially established in 1976 after the founders Steven Miller and Stephen Oppenheim decided to turn a life of swashbuckling adventures into a second life of swashbuckling adventures. We live in the local, even for our customers far away. That means you will probably hear a story about burying a Porsche in a state park while you are asking about a faucet or see photos of our cashier's Saint Bernards while you're paying for a light fixture. We strongly support community projects, teachers, artists, adventurers, dreamers, and one-man-bands.
If you're looking for a hard to find hardware pattern or can't find the match to your lamp shade, we'd be happy to tell you if we have it, seen it, or know where you could get it.
To make sure you get what you need, we offer the following services:- Customizing - We do our best to make sure it looks just right. Our lighting shop can customize length, finishes, plating, and configuration. Our plumbing department will coordinate refinishing with local companies. The hardware department is able to darken, refinish, clean, and rebuild. Our services can vary depending on staff so please contact us with your project details.
- Returns - Accepted for any reason. That means if it doesn't fit, if your sweetheart doesn't like it, if it doesn't match your paint scheme. Receipt required. Returned to you the way you paid. Shipping refunded only in the case of defective items.
- Trade in - Bring in what you have and we will offer you in store credit or cash. Email pictures first if you'd like to talk about it before you get here.
Hippo Hardware has three glorious floors and 30,000 sq feet of building salvage to explore. Our inventory, and staff, is divided into four departments: Hardware, Lighting, Plumbing, and Architecture. We do our best to highlight our inventory full of unique items and reproductions on our website, but most of our stock is not online yet. Please contact us if you're looking for something you don't see here.
We Support: NARAL, Planned Parenthood, Portland Women's Crisis Line, Benson High School, Sunnyside Environmental School, Junk to Funk Recycled Fashion Show, SE Works, Vision Northwest, Multnomah Playschool, Union Gospel Mission, Community House, The Friendly House, Marylhurst Childhood Center, Portland Lions Club, Sabin Elementary School, Oya No Kai supporting the Japanese Magnet Program, Lee Owen Stone Preschool, Public Interest Law Project, Jefferson High School for the Performing Arts Theater Department, imago Theater, Reynolds High School, David Douglass High School, and Milagro Theater.
