Welcome to Centers and Squares

As a Cambridge real estate agent, the city squares of Cambridge, Somerville and Medford and the town centers of Arlington, Watertown and Belmont, Massachusetts are my home turf. And as a lifelong New Englander who’s lived within twenty miles of Boston most of my life, I can introduce you to other nearby towns as we search for your new home. If you’re planning to sell your home in Cambridge, MA or nearby you’ll find plenty of info about the home selling process here too. Questions? Send me an email or call me at 617-504-1737.

House Parts We Love – Decorative Metal Doorknobs

Vintage Metal Doorknob in CambridgeSo often when we fall in love with a house it’s the details that make the difference.  When I’m out on the real estate trail in Cambridge MA, I come across so many wonderful features in the great houses in Cambridge.

This series – House Parts We Love – is my celebration of the myriad of special features that add charm and character to a house.  Many of these features are found in older houses since builders in years past paid a lot more attention to the details.  There are fine features in newer houses too – so if new houses or modern architecture warm your heart – not to worry – I’m snapping pictures in houses of all ages.  And feel free to email me with your favorite house parts.

Vintage Decorative Metal Doorknobs Found Around Cambridge

Doorknobs have been catching my eye lately.  Doorknobs are such an integral part of the house – a part of the house that is hard for anyone to miss.  You can’t help but be intrigued when it’s a beautiful Art Nouveaux doorknob you turn to open the front door.  Or perhaps it’s the intricately patterned embossed doorknob that’s a standout on a closet door.   The utilitarian can also be beautiful.

Vintage Metal Doorknob in CambridgeHurray if you’re lucky enough to have some fabulous doorknobs in your home already.  If not, there are some great sources for new, reproduction, or vintage doorknobs.  Ebay is worth visiting regularly for vintage hardware and architectural salvage yards will have vintage doorknobs available.  Raybern on Weston Ave in Teele Square, Somerville carries a wide variety of specialty hardware including some lines with reproduction doorknobs. 

Here are some other providers of antique and reproduction doorknobs:

 Other house parts we love:

Cutout Shutters

Elizabeth Bolton is a house enthusiast and real estate agent in Cambridge MA.

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  1. cardiogirl

    I agree, many times the charm is simply in the details. I really enjoy cool house numbers, though mine are far from cool; they’re simply utilitarian.

    The problem with changing my house numbers is that it will lead to much bigger changes that I perceive are necessary.

    Our house has aluminum siding that’s old. There are some sort of mildew stains on the siding that are not extremely noticeable and are not coming off after much scrubbing.

    If I get snazzy numbers I will feel the need to fix those stains. I can’t afford new siding, so I will have to paint, I guess.

    If I paint around the door I have to paint the rest of the siding on the front of the house. I have a two story house. If I do the entire front of the house, first floor, I’ll have to do the second floor and I’m afraid of heights.

    See it just snowballs from there. So I’m gonna stick with my yucky house numbers and admire the details over here via your pictures.

  2. Elizabeth Bolton

    I’ve been amassing a big collection of house number photos for a future post – the variety is amazing once you start noticing.

    I can so relate to the domino effect of home renovations and upgrades. Almost any project I think of will inevitably lead to five more. So I stay as-is with my two-year (maybe it’s three years) old building permit fading on the front door and my projects unfinished.

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