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