Limulous Door Knocker

Two decorative wall hooks shaped like elephants with long trunks, made of dark metal, mounted on a white wall.

Forged steel and Monel (nickel-copper alloy)

On this project, the client’s home comprises two adjoining apartments in a high rise building, calling for twin door knockers. The design I created suggests echoes of a horseshoe crab (latin name Limulus Polyphemus, hence the design moniker Limulous, meaning “sort of like a horseshoe crab”)

Diagram of a DORSAL VIEW of a lobster with labeled body parts including compound eye, simple eyes, hinge, abdomen, moveable spines, telson tail, and structure of the first antenna, showing a female and male lobster for comparison.

Another echo in the design is an abstracted leaf or floral form. I’m always attracted to designs that can evoke multiple associations. I like being reminded now and then that every life form on earth must trace its evolution back to some single original organic inkling.

A close-up of a broccoli flower with small, pinkish, frilly flower clusters on top of a thick green stalk.
A fossilized ginkgo leaf.

To bring out the floral impression I chose to incorporate a contrasting color with the inclusion of elements forged in Monel, a white metal more commonly used in industrial and maritime applications. Because of the intricacy of the design and the relative costliness of working in Monel, I opted to make a full prototype in steel before creating the final knockers.

Three sculptural door knockers in forged metal placed on a workbench with tools and containers in the background.
Pair of wooden doors with brass handles and custom designed door knockers in a corner, black trim, and white walls.

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