How To Make a Statement with Door Accessories and Handles

I love the fact that you can walk down a lovely traditional street in an old town like Old Amersham in the UK and find the most amazing and stylish looking old fashioned front doors with stunning accessories. Yes, I know that a lion knocker isn’t going to do it for a very contemporary home on the beach, but the concept of Wow is still achievable with stylish trendy products – just in a very different way. Our very own workshop gate is a rusty gate which we spent months spraying with acid to rust so that it would look the way it does. However, it has very shiny stainless steel handles and our concrete mailbox and light in pride position alongside it. You know straightaway because of these accessories that we are no ordinary company and that we are setting out to make a statement. So how do you make a statement without a lion head? It really isn’t as hard as it seems. Don’t be Scared to Experiment You’ll be surprised to hear my first bit of advice is ‘Be creative’. Not everything on the door needs to be in stainless steel or have a very streamlined look. Try to use different materials like bronze and copper, play with shapes and forms that stand out and do go for larger sizes than you would normally use. A large handle on an otherwise normal sized door will draw attention and raise an eyebrow or two. Yes, size needs to be proportionate but it doesn’t need to be conservative. Don’t necessarily match You can mix different finishes together. The doorbell, handle and light fixtures don’t have to be the same colour or design. For instance, if your windows, door and roof are all grey and then you plonk just straightforward stainless steel handles, light fittings and accessories on it – yes it is all symmetrical and matching but it doesn’t have any character. Using a Rusted or glass finish on your letterbox or introducing a stylish and colourful doormat will break that monotony and create a ‘wow – how different’ from those that visit you. Create a mood board When I’m designing doors, I have a variety of materials in front of me to help me think outside the box. Putting your samples all out in front of you in a mood board style like a designer can help you visualise what is possible and realise that if you use a bronze handle on your front door, that it may not match everything inside. Use pictures or actual samples of all the materials together to help you choose the right product and the right ‘end result’. Find something you haven’t seen before Yes we all want to be unique and special and even in this world of ours where everyone has an idea of what that is, it’s still possible to find that something ‘ different’ that no one else has tried – without being too over the top and out there. A plain door can be lifted immediately with a handle that has a little bit of shape to it. You can soften a very sharp design with a little movement instead of going for straight lines. Mixing traditional and contemporary features is also a fun way of doing things differently – just like you can update an old Georgian door with stainless steel handles, you can also dull down a contemporary door with rust accessories. If you still feel like you need some advice on the above or just a bit of guidance, email us on sales@pushpull.co.uk and we’ll be happy. It surprises me that so many people consider not having a handle on their front door. This is quite tricky because, yes, contemporary design determines a much more minimalistic look but you still need your door to be practical and easy to use. Some opt for a cylinder pull but this may sometimes not be suitable for the size of the door or its weight. Handles really do add something special to a door - design, statement and function but moreover I’ve found that handles do definitely add a touch of elegance and a little bit of you. Your first instinct is really what you should go for, whatever first made you think yes, I love it, is probably the best choice for your door. You should also be considering handle size in comparison to the size of the door and also dimension and depth of the handle and it’s fixings. So a 2.4m tall door could easily have a 1200mm tall pull handle but just as easily a 600mm handle or a lever handle for that matter. But what looks better and what is the door being used for? These determine how you make your choices. So many people think very tall handles are more for commercial buildings but in reality they can work for any entrance. I would say they suit bigger doors better and also are a contemporary choice but why not? The difference between square and round handles or thin and thicker handles are all very personal and can change the look of a door dramatically. Whatever you choose keep in mind functionality too – perhaps a lever handle would be better for your door, but would it appear too small? So considering what works best isn’t what it’s all about… use your gut feeling and go for what you love. It’s always the couples who walk into our showroom that struggle the most with choosing handles because ultimately it’s a very personal choice. There are some who like their doors to be very crisp with no handles at all and others who like a very commercial look with the biggest handle they can get. Usually, clients just want their handle to be as practical as possible which inevitably is easier said than done. At Urban Front, the choice is actually minimised because you either go for a pull handle or a lever handle or none at all. However, the choice isn’t just for design purposes – it’s about how you are going to use the door too and how that relates to the locking system. Lever Handles Lever handles are traditionally more popular but with our doors, using a lever handle means that your door would always be accessible unless the door is locked; ie anyone could just walk in if you forget to lock the door as the lever handle works with the latch. Keeping in mind, it is ideal if you have a gated property and would prefer to be able to walk in and out of your house onto your driveway without having to keep your door wide open. However, if you have quite a large door, it could look wrong with small lever handles. Trying something a little different like our Option 2 handle could be a good way to update a lever handle. Pull Handles Pulls look very contemporary and can really change the feel of the door if used cleverly. Shorter pulls look more residential while longer ones more commercial. Full length pulls can give a bit of drama whereas a quirky pull may just be that little bit of wow an entrance needs to make it stand out. An example of this is our PP117 which usually goes with Urban Fronts Milano door – see the link by clicking here. The feel of a handle seems to make a big difference to our customers as well – square edged or round or something in between. Pull handles also affect the way the door is used in that once the door is closed and even if not locked there is no way back in without a key. If you'd like any advise, let us know and we'd be happy to help. sales@pushpull.co.uk

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