Door hardware is available in a range of designs, and it can be challenging to choose which style or finish to install in your home. An important detail of home design, choosing the right products for your doors is crucial, but with each room often following a unique design scheme, having the same door handle or knob may not fit each room's design.
You may be thinking of mixing your hardware throughout your home, or you cannot find a match to your current handles and are considering the question: "should all the door handles and doorknobs match in my home?".
The simple answer is no.
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to fixtures and fittings. Whoever said that because you have brass in one room, you cannot have chrome in another? In terms of home design, mixing and matching can be an artistic way to reflect your personal tastes in design. Door handles and doorknobs can vary throughout the home and still create a harmonious interior design scheme. Creating consistency using the same style in every room may be the norm for some, but sometimes, choosing the same handle for all your doors can begin to feel redundant.
Why not break the mould and try something different?
As with any aspect of home design, you should decide with both personal preference and style kept in mind. Whilst bringing diversity to an interior design scheme by mixing and matching handles can be a fantastic way of elevating the design of your home without breaking the bank, choosing all coordinating hardware products will create a seamless, uniform design.
It is easy to overlook door hardware, but their capability to bring together the design of a room is unmatched. Continue reading to learn how to mix door handles appropriately, what to match them with, and a few factors to keep in mind to avoid ending up with a disjointed interior design scheme.
Tip #1: Consistency
Consistency is key.
While each room does not have to match throughout the house, there is a consistent theme. Every room will have an individual colour scheme and design, but there will be a common theme throughout them all. For example, you are unlikely to find a room with a minimalist, modern design, and another with a traditional Victorian style in the same house. The entire home will have an underlying theme, but each room will have unique touches to ensure it differs from the next.
Installing a different doorknob for all doors may not work with the overall design theme of your home, but having matching door knobs could be seen as extreme. In general, selecting handles that remain consistent with each other and the overall style of the house will avoid creating an awkward interior design.
For instance, fitting a satin nickel doorknob for your master bedroom but a brass door handle for your ensuite bathroom would result in a puzzling design. So, whether you choose the same design, finish, or colour, keeping your handles somehow in the same family will stop your home design from looking awkward.
Interior designers and homeowners alike consider the finer details of each room before making their final decision. In general, in rooms like a bedroom or living room, with fewer appliances and fittings, many will consider the finishes of more minor design elements like light fixtures to bring together and add features to a room's design.
In rooms such as your kitchen and bathroom, which will both have several appliances, fittings, and fixtures, matching your door hardware to these items will have a striking effect. Coordinating your kitchen door handle to your cabinet hardware, kitchen faucet, or appliances is an effortless way to achieve a seamless design. For example, stainless steel appliances and fixtures would partner effortlessly with a stainless steel handle.
However, stainless steel may not suit the style of the room leading to your kitchen. This is where a split finish would work perfectly.
Tip #2: Split Finish
A split finish is an increasingly popular option for many. It solves the problem of coordinating handles to rooms on both sides of one door and presents an ideal technique for adding variety to your home without leaving your interior design looking messy or creating more confusion.
For a split finish, your doorknob or handle will have the same design as the other but with a different finish on the inside of the door and the outside. For instance, if your house has brass handles, but the fittings in a particular space are chrome, installing a brass handle would look strange. So instead, you might consider putting a polished chrome handle on the interior of the door, but a brass handle on the exterior, to fit both schemes and avoid clashing with other doors.
It is important to note that all handles come in varied sizes, so ensure you choose designs that are the same size to fix them correctly on either side of your door.
Following this technique is especially effective in bathrooms, which often require a unique design approach to the rest of the house.
Bathrooms will include various appliances and fixtures, like taps and showers and will benefit from one consistent theme throughout. In this case, if your bathroom fixings are in a metallic nickel finish, then choosing a nickel handle for the inside of the door will create a cohesive bathroom design.
Incorporating split finishes into your home design will allow you to vary your handles without losing consistency. However, opting for a blending technique may be more suitable if you want to use assorted hardware designs throughout the house.
Tip #3: Blend
Instead of selecting numerous of the same handles for all the doors in your house, consider choosing assorted styles that complement your home's overall style.
With a bit of trial and error, choosing a selection of different doorknobs or handles for your home can result in a stunning overall effect. The best way to achieve this is to select assorted styles with the same finish, so only minor details set each handle apart.
If your home has an overall modern design scheme, choosing finishes such as brushed nickel, polished chrome, or black will blend seamlessly. However, classic finishes like antique brass and wrought iron will add a rustic feel to traditional properties.
Reasons To Match Door Knobs and Handles
For many years, installing the same doorknobs or door handles throughout the house has been the go-to choice for homeowners. However, nowadays, mixing several types of door furniture in your home while keeping a seamless, consistent theme is best practice.
Nevertheless, choosing to opt for the same hardware throughout your home has fantastic benefits and will often be a more practical option. From being cost-effective, straightforward, and providing a clean overall look, here are some reasons why and how you should match your door hardware.
Keeping Costs Down
Purchasing several of the same products is always an effective way of maintaining the cost of your project.
With most retailers offering exclusive offers and discounts on products sold as a set or kit, you will often save yourself money, time and effort and receive a pack of coordinating door knobs or handles in the process. In addition, buying in bulk will allow you to receive your items in one shipment, saving you some money and time there too.
At Hiatt Hardware, we stock a vast array of door handle packs, with many including a pair of hinges and a tubular latch in addition to your new handles. As a result, if you wish to fit the same handle to multiple doors, opting for a pack is a tried-and-true efficient method.
Buying a number of products? You will get free next day delivery and a 5% discount when you spend over £150.
The Size of Your Home
How large your home is may also affect your decision.
If you have a smaller home, like an apartment or single-storey house, harmonising your handles with each other may be a better alternative than choosing different doorknobs for all doors.
In modern homes, apartments or flats, the interior doors will often match throughout, and you may be able to see all your hardware in one place or with a couple of steps in one direction. In this case, choosing coordinating handles and knobs would prevent your interior design from looking confusing or overwhelming to the eye.
In larger homes or those with more than one storey, choosing unique designs for your doors can result in a highly effective final addition. As you are unlikely to see each hardware piece at once, selecting multiple designs is a valid option.
Matching Other Door Furniture
When considering all the doorknobs and handles within your home, a simple method to maintain a cohesive design is to ensure your hinges, locks, and accessories match your handles.
Again, whilst there is no rule against choosing different finishes for your handles than you do for your products, it is best to select those that are similar or of the same finish.
For your hinges, it is often best practice that they should match the finish of your handles and knobs if they are visible. But, with that in mind, you could opt for a blend of cohesive finishes instead of exact matches. For instance, blending chrome hinges with a polished nickel handle will provide a seamless look as the finishes are not dissimilar.
Perhaps the only time your handles should match your accessories is in the case of a lever-on-rose door handle or a doorknob. These handle types require the addition of a keyhole escutcheon plate for lockable doors or a thumbturn lock and release for bathroom doors. Observable on both the outer and inner sides of doors, the two products will sit close together, allowing for a contrast in finish or colour to be very noticeable.
From this, we recommend choosing doorknobs and handles that match the other accessories you need. You can shop our extensive range of door accessories and find your matching products today.
The Style of Your Home
The overall design theme of your home can also dictate whether you should match your doorknobs and handles.
If your home has a busy design with lots of colours and textures, keeping things simplistic when choosing your handles will elevate your home's design. On the other hand, a sleek, minimal, and modern home would benefit from cohesive handles to keep the theme going but look fantastic with standout handles that bring variety to the house.
Final Thoughts
The answer to the "should doorknobs and handles match throughout the house?" has no definitive answer. Of course, your handles do not have to match, but there are ways to ensure that you do not end up with a confusing, disjointed home design if you do decide to mix and match.
With multiple factors at play, personal preference is the key to making your decision. Consider how much money you want to spend, your home's overall style, and the style of different rooms to make an informed choice.
Choosing two different colours may not work in every home, but why not give it a go? With our 14 day returns policy, you can rest assured that you can return your new handles to us if you change your mind. Please read our returns policy for more information.
Discover our collection of over two hundred doorknobs and handles for your home design today. We have a handle or knob to suit any home decor, from classic antique brass to modern chrome. The great benefit of mixing your handle styles and finishes is that you do not have to pick just one, creating many design opportunities.
If you are unsure which style to choose or have any other questions, our dedicated team is always happy to help. You can contact us by calling 0800 0590 950 or emailing us at websales@hiatt-hardware.com.
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