A Guide to Choosing High Quality Door Handles

So you’ve spent a while choosing and designing your interior or exterior doors to look beautiful and fit in with the style of your property? Perhaps you’ve selected doors made from a classic material, such as wood? Maybe you’ve decided to to have them stained, painted or embellished with glass? If you’ve taken pride in your choice of doors, then don’t be too hasty in selecting the door handles.

Why do door handles matter?

Door handles seem fairly small and insignificant – who even notices them? In actual fact, they are very significant. A guest may not see the door handle immediately, but they are likely to place their hand on it to open or close the door. This is when the quality is revealed! A cheap door handle is likely to show itself by feeling light, very easy to turn, jerky or uncomfortable. Guests may even hear a creak, clatter or rattle as they turn the knob.

If you have high quality doors, then it is essential you choose high quality handles to match.

How to identify cheap door handles

Cheap door knobs tend to constructed from stainless steel or aluminum. They may also be described as ‘brass effect’, which means they look like they are constructed from brass, but are actually made from a much cheaper material. If a doorknob is under £5 then you know the quality is going to be poor!

Selecting the right handles for your doors

If you have traditional, old-fashioned wooden doors, then iron or antique brass handles will fit in with your home beautifully. Handles are preferable over knobs for country cottages.

If you live in a townhouse from the Geogrian or Edwardian period, with high ceilings and period features, then a classic door knobis a good choice. Think rounded, embellished knobs made from solid brass, with optional nickel plating.

If you own a modern home then simple, clean lines are the best choice. Straight turn handles or square pull handles work well. Select nickel plated or polished chrome.

Don’t buy online

Avoid buying online, unless you have previously seen the handles first hand. Physically seeing and feeling a handle is essential – it will allow you to view the size and assess the quality.

 

If you have any ideas or questions then let us know in the comments below!