Brass Door Knobs
Brass doorknobs aren't only spiffy and expensive looking, but they're also full of aniti-microbial properties. That way, something that is touched by hundreds of hands a day has self-cleaning properties. Unfortunately, they're pretty costly and not used very often anymore.
Brown Beer Bottles
Most artisenal beers are sold in brown bottles, and that's not for aesthetic purposes. Darker bottles keep the sun away from the beer, which means UV rays won't alter the flavor. During WWII, breweries switched to green bottles because of a shortage of brown glass.