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bunnyemerald

Interior door handle suggestions?

10 years ago

I’d like to swap out all my interior doors (bed and bath),
but since it might take me awhile, I thought I’d go ahead and swap out the
hinges and handles. If/when I get new doors, I can reuse the hardware. My current doors are cheapo 6-panel builder’s grade. One day I will get shaker doors.

Currently I have satin nickel levers and am now smitten with
black hardware.

I understand the benefits of levers, but the reality is, all
my doors remain in the open position unless I have a guest using the bathroom.
So, not a lot of wear and tear or repetitive wrist action.

As for looks, I’m not particularly partial to either knob or
lever. Either is okay.

I have an Emtek entry set, which I love, but I don’t need
$100 privacy sets that get very little action. So I’m considering something
like Schlage, unless I can be talked out of it. My current levers are Kwikset
and they have held up well over the past 10 years.

My house is 1991 plain vanilla. My style is neither
traditional or contemporary. Casual. Levers to me seem to lean one way or the other.

Also, round or square rosette?

Your thoughts?


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Comments (23)

  • 10 years ago

    I used a combo of ORB knobs and levers in the addition. The French doors and courtyard entry door have levers. The pantry has French doors with levers. One of the hall closets also has French doors with knobs. It all works. I prefer the round rosettes.

    Bunny thanked User
  • 10 years ago

    I just purchased new knobs & hinges for our 6-panel doors. I wanted black (not ORB), so they had to be ordered. The old builders-grade has lasted for 30 years, so I went with Schlage. I had a hard time deciding between the round or square rosette, ended up with round.

    Bunny thanked torreykm
  • 10 years ago

    Thanks Torrey. Any idea which style you got? Although I like square rosettes, I think maybe round makes more sense for me. Although I have square on my entry door set, but none of the other doors are visible from that perspective.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    They are Schlage "Georgian" Matt Black ordered through Home Depot. The hinges are made by Stanley (Home Designs) - Black Coated Finish, also order through HD. I just checked HD and didn't see it listed, but here is another source.

    http://www.build.com/schlage-f10-geo-passage-door-knob/s505576?uid=490975

    Bunny thanked torreykm
  • 10 years ago

    We have these and love them. Of your choices I would chose the last one.


    http://www.build.com/kwikset-154hfl-passage-door-lever/s893289

    Bunny thanked amykath
  • 10 years ago

    We had #2 in our house before the black levers with square rosettes. They were in satin nickel. They were nice, we had them for 10 years with no issues.

    Bunny thanked akl_vdb
  • 10 years ago

    I just ordered #3. I found myself chasing my tail, and needed to get on with it. Got a good price, free shipping. Schlage Georgian knob with Addison rosette, matte black.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Out of your options, I like #3 most and fully support your decision, Linelle (thumbs up and "like"!). I find myself liking the knob styles for sentimentality, although akl_vdb and aktillery9 styles above are sharp.

    Bunny thanked User
  • 10 years ago

    Thanks everyone for your input!! It's extremely helpful to see what you've used in your homes and how it's performed. One of the important things for me to consider was the fact that my doors are usually wedged open, so function is secondary. Thanks to my cat Zephyr who never met an open door he didn't want to close, thereby shutting himself in the room. Every bed/bath door in my house has to be wedged open. He's also known to open doors with levers.

  • 10 years ago

    Big fan of the square rosette. if your house is very "plain vanilla" (to quote you), then I think the square is a nice way to really make it contemporary.

    Bunny thanked H202
  • 10 years ago

    H202, thanks. Funny how we see stuff differently. I wasn't really going for contemporary, but again, I have a hard time figuring out what the look I'm after is called. I think I'll settle for "it feels right." :)

  • 10 years ago

    Is the molding around your doors and your baseboards traditional? Mine are, and although I love the contemporary styles, I wouldn't put them in my house.

    Our boy does the same thing--goes into the powder room, closes the door, and then meows.

    Bunny thanked User
  • 10 years ago

    mayflowers, I would say my door trim is traditional. I've had most of my baseboards replaced with 5" when I got new floors, and they are probably more traditional than contemporary. I'm fine with a mix of things, e.g., I have a very early 50s round coffee table and I tend to dislike MMM. However, it's just my parents' old coffee table and I've had it for years and am attached to it.

    To me the square rosette with the groove detail (don't know what it's called) doesn't seem contemporary at all.

  • 10 years ago

    No, it's traditional and a good choice. Some of the other suggestions are too contemporary with traditional molding. I try to keep the permanent parts of my house consistent. It's actually easier to design around. There's been many a poster in kitchens who has mixed so many styles that you don't know what direction to point them in for backsplash or lighting.

    Bunny thanked User
  • 10 years ago

    mayflowers, that's good advice, although my little house has a lot of inconsistencies without even trying, e.g., traditional trim, windows without trim, bullnose edges in hallway. I try to ignore what I don't like and can't easily change (the bullnose).

  • 10 years ago

    When I used the word "contemporary", I meant up-to-date and timely, rather than dated. I didn't mean "modern". I think the square rosette is quite trendy (in a good way) right now, and works well with a variety of styles. For instance, we have similar handles in our 150 year old federal rowhouse. That style does not work well in a modern setting. But you said your house was pretty plain vanilla, so adding a square rosette would be a good way to add some interest and bring the house up to date. That's what I meant when I said "contemporary".

    Bunny thanked H202
  • 10 years ago

    H202, gotcha. :) My house isn't modern but there are certainly sprinkles of contemporary, as in of-this-time. Timely and trendy are okay when changing things down the road, if they become tired and dated, isn't a wallet-buster.

  • 10 years ago

    That describes my house too, Linelle--1990s west coast traditional but without the nicer traditional moldings you'd find on the east coast.

    Bunny thanked User
  • 10 years ago

    I went with this, in aged bronze:

    http://www.schlage.com/en/home/products/F40ACCFFFCAM.html

    There are many rounded elements in the house, the doors also have this half circle panel on top. When I was deciding I drew the door, or rather several pics of our door, and then "added" different rosettes w/handles on them. It helped me tremendously since I could see what worked best. Not too round, not too square.


    Bunny thanked aprilneverends
  • 10 years ago

    April, those are nice. I also have a mix of round and square in my house, although I have to force myself to focus on shape to even analyze it.

    I just figured out that my dining room chandelier is aged bronze, i.e., black with the 90-degree edges bronze-y. All along I had thought it was ORB.