Waking up and finding yourself in a feature in The New York Times is definitely one of those “pinch me now” moments. I am so happy to share this story from the House & Garden section.
It’s amazing to think that I started blogging and sharing images of door knockers on trips around the world and that it caught the attention of The New York Times.
Thank you Tim McKeough for your fantastic writing and capturing me and my personality, and to Robert Wright for your great photos and details.
You can check out the story HERE online.
If you missed some of my door knockers from my travels:
VENICE
CARTAGENA
The New York Times
By Tim McKeough, photos by Robert Wright
Published September 29, 2011
SHOPPING WITH GRANT K. GIBSON
DOOR KNOCKERS
Jewelry for Your Door
A door knocker is the first sign of what lies within.
GRANT K. GIBSON is an interior designer, but that doesn’t stop him from thinking about what homes look like on the outside. Particularly when it comes to the front door. Or the door knocker, to be precise.
Mr. Gibson, 32, a San Francisco designer named one of five designers to watch by Elle Decor magazine last year, describes himself as “pretty obsessed.”
On recent trips to cities like Venice, Paris and Cartagena, he photographed hundreds of door knockers, posting many of them on his blog (grantkgibson.blogspot.com).
“As I researched them, I realized that they were related to the trades of the people who lived there,” Mr. Gibson said. “That’s not the case today, but I like door knockers that are very individual and personal.”
He continued, “The design of the door can be pretty basic, but then a door knocker is like a piece of jewelry.” By selecting something unusual, he added, “you can personalize your front door and really make it your own.”
During a visit to New York, Mr. Gibson went searching for more door knockers.
He began at E. R. Butler & Co. in SoHo, where he quickly found many he liked. One had a lion’s head more than 10 inches tall that reminded him of pieces he had seen in Italy.
“I love this because it’s so big,” he said. “There’s something about that scale.”
He also admired a rough-looking wrought-iron knocker based on a design by Samuel Yellin, which felt “almost medieval.”
Next up was P. E. Guerin in the West Village, where he dug through piles of dusty hardware, unearthing a ghoulish-looking item: a gargoyle-like head with a ring dangling from its mouth.
“It’s got a gothic feel,” he said, adding that it would only get better with age. “I like the dirt.”
At the Gracious Home Chelsea Design Center, Mr. Gibson found several pieces with a modern aesthetic. One was the DK7 round door knocker by Rocky Mountain Hardware.
“It feels hand-forged,” he said, referring to the rough texture.
“It’s good to come and see these things in person, so you can feel and touch.”
He also selected a knocker designed by Frank Gehry with a curvaceous handle on a rectangular base.
“I like the softness of it, like in his architecture,” he said. “It also feels nice in the hand.”
But whether one’s tastes run to the modern or to the traditional, Mr. Gibson stressed the importance of giving the selection of a door knocker some serious thought. It creates the first impression a visitor has of your home, he said, “setting the theme and tone” of everything that follows.
GRANT K. GIBSON is an interior designer, but that doesn’t stop him from thinking about what homes look like on the outside. Particularly when it comes to the front door. Or the door knocker, to be precise.
Mr. Gibson, 32, a San Francisco designer named one of five designers to watch by Elle Decor magazine last year, describes himself as “pretty obsessed.”
On recent trips to cities like Venice, Paris and Cartagena, he photographed hundreds of door knockers, posting many of them on his blog (grantkgibson.blogspot.com).
“As I researched them, I realized that they were related to the trades of the people who lived there,” Mr. Gibson said. “That’s not the case today, but I like door knockers that are very individual and personal.”
He continued, “The design of the door can be pretty basic, but then a door knocker is like a piece of jewelry.” By selecting something unusual, he added, “you can personalize your front door and really make it your own.”
During a visit to New York, Mr. Gibson went searching for more door knockers.
He began at E. R. Butler & Co. in SoHo, where he quickly found many he liked. One had a lion’s head more than 10 inches tall that reminded him of pieces he had seen in Italy.
“I love this because it’s so big,” he said. “There’s something about that scale.”
He also admired a rough-looking wrought-iron knocker based on a design by Samuel Yellin, which felt “almost medieval.”
Next up was P. E. Guerin in the West Village, where he dug through piles of dusty hardware, unearthing a ghoulish-looking item: a gargoyle-like head with a ring dangling from its mouth.
“It’s got a gothic feel,” he said, adding that it would only get better with age. “I like the dirt.”
At the Gracious Home Chelsea Design Center, Mr. Gibson found several pieces with a modern aesthetic. One was the DK7 round door knocker by Rocky Mountain Hardware.
“It feels hand-forged,” he said, referring to the rough texture.
“It’s good to come and see these things in person, so you can feel and touch.”
He also selected a knocker designed by Frank Gehry with a curvaceous handle on a rectangular base.
“I like the softness of it, like in his architecture,” he said. “It also feels nice in the hand.”
But whether one’s tastes run to the modern or to the traditional, Mr. Gibson stressed the importance of giving the selection of a door knocker some serious thought. It creates the first impression a visitor has of your home, he said, “setting the theme and tone” of everything that follows.
14 comments:
This is absolutely FANTASTIC! Congratulations on all of your success Grant, you truly deserve it!
I am always thrilled to see you get the recognition that your creative genius deserves.
Well done! One of my clients found a wonderfully distressed bronze mask of a man's face in Venice, and we had it wired as a doorbell. Not exactly a knocker, but it gives the front door some instant patina and history. Love your NYC finds!
Congratulations, Grant! Wonderful story and exposure for you. Love the pix you've posted.
If you want to see amazing examples of this form of personal expression, I highly recommend that you visit the Greek islands. There's a rich history of all sorts there, and this category hasn't been neglected.
Now that's a feather in your cap! Congrats, Grant!
Congratulations!!! This is fantastic.
xoxo Post + Grant
Congratulations! Designers do have that eye for detail and you show that off so well here.
CONGRATS GRANT! I SEE A CONTRACT FROM BALDWIN BRASS COMING, $$$$$$$$
Dean
You are on your way to becoming a STAR! You are a designer to watch for sure.
Keep up the amazing press that you get.
So proud! Congrats!
Love your choices. High and low.
I read about you in the "Times" when they featured you a couple years ago; so glad to finally have found your blog!! Congrats on the articles.
congrats! the article is super cool, as is your blog. keep up the great work
So proud of you. You must make all of the other designers jealous! You keep rocking the press.
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