Shell handle porcelain

The city of Limoges has been an important site of porcelain production in Europe for centuries. Judging by this time span, the Mérigous family business located there is not old. Founded in 1954, the company has specialized in the production of furniture hardware and porcelain door and window handles from the very beginning. The shell handles offered here are among the classics of the assortment. They are pressed into metal molds, fired in the kiln at temperatures around 1,400 °C and glazed. Originally, only white porcelain was produced. The black variant, in which the color layer is applied in two separate operations opaque, is more recent (and the extra effort in the production because of understandably also slightly more expensive).

Historically, fittings were primarily intended to increase the usability of a piece of furniture; the focal point of their assessment was their practical use. Shields protected drawers, latches, corners, and edges against wear and tear in particularly stressed areas. All door knobs and drawer handles had to be particularly sturdy. The awareness of an ornamental value of such objects, on the other hand, came about later and only over the course of centuries. From the 12th century onwards, you find fittings that had a style-defining effect on their era. The Art Nouveau phase was particularly productive, creating a multitude of dainty floral décor ornaments.

Nevertheless, the emphasis in our assortment is on the material as well as the origin of the individual articles. The century from which the design originates is less important to us. You won’t find cheap imitations from India and China in our selection; on the contrary, you will find products originating in Europe – with an emphasis on regions where the production of such fittings was traditionally at home. For example, the glass furniture knobs in our range come from a specialised glassmaking workshop in the Fichtel Mountains. One and all of our porcelain products derive from the cradle of French porcelain production, from the city of Limoges. And an iron foundry in the Ardennes provides us with the iron teacup handles. Last but not least, we have our pick’s brass furniture plates and handles made in Lüdenscheid in the Sauerland region, a traditional centre of metalworking in Germany.

You can use the fittings to embellish old furnishings or replace existing, possibly defective parts with functioning ones. Upgrade the long-cherished flea market find in a heartbeat. Deck out a self-made piece of furniture with the fittings it deserves: smooth-running castors and charming handles.