Front door handles are an important piece to the puzzle when either renovating or during a new home build.
It is the first look someone gets of your house that you want to transform into a home. They come in many different styles and materials. The type of handle that you choose will depend on how much use your door gets, and whether you prefer something simple or ornate.
Here are some tips for choosing the right front door handle for your home.
Choose a style that matches your architecture
A variety of styles are available for front door handles, however, some designs work better than others.
For example, a simple handle works well when there is little room for a decorative piece. On the other hand, a more ornate handle might not fit into a small space.
Consider how much room you have before choosing a style.
Select a material that will stand up to the test of time
Choose a material that will last. We can’t stress this enough. Too many times people put poorly coated products on their front door only to see the finish fade over a short period of time.
Sure, they look fantastic when they’ve just been installed, but you want something to last more than six months right? Ensure longevity with the right product on your front door and that is with PVD finishing which most of Architectural Choice products have.
All Architectural Choice Matt Black, Satin Brass, Titanium Copper and the ever popular Antique Brass products that are from JNF Architectural Hardware in Europe are finished with PVD, making them the longest lasting on the market.
We must also say there are some in our catalogue that we would discourage using in this instance. We would caution you to use our Brooklyn White door handle on entrance doors as well. This is because it’s not a PVD finish, and the lever will last as long as the elements allow it.
If you live inside 500 metres of the ocean, then we would encourage the use of 316 stainless steel for your front door handles. This will have the best chance of a long-lasting product. Get in touch with our team for options.
Look for handles that combine with a secure lock mechanism
A good front door handle has a strong and durable locking mechanism alongside it. This means that your home will always be secure.
Gone are the days of putting a lever set with a key in the handle or knob. It looks terrible and there’s a reason they’re cheap.
This is considered over the top by some; however, we prefer to make sure the main job a product has is the feature, in this case, security.
That is the entire point of selecting your front door handle, making sure it works to it's peak for as long as possible.
This won't happen unless you select elements that "talk with one another."
Check out the options available for mounting your new handle
How does the handle set you would like to use combine with the lock, but also how and where will it be installed?
This is important as you don’t want to come home after installation to see your prized pull handle too far up the door and look awful because the lock was in the way.
This is the main reason our roller mortice locks have defined placements for pull handle bolts. With all Architectural Choice locks you can use these holes for a guide or have your pull handle a little further up if space permits.
Our advice is to have it at a comfortable height, one where it’s efficient when you get your keys out of your pocket to put in the cylinder. Most architects will specify this to be 1000mm above finished floor level which is a good guide.
If you are deciding to go with a lever set for your front door handles then this is largely the same.
The one thing we should point out with our mortice locks for door handles is they are developed with the door handles in mind so the fixing holes are perfectly located.
See picture below of our mortice lock with points for connector bolts to go through for whatever set of front door handles you choose, either on rose, with a rectangle plate or an oval plate.
What application should I use?
There are two main applications for front door handles, pull handles and lever handles.
The most bullet proof solution is selecting pull handles for your front door alongside a roller mortice lock. This is due to pull handles not having working mechanisms so they won’t fail over time. The use of pull handles is also easier when trying to enter your home with a simple push or pull motion.
As mentioned, this would go along with a roller mortice lock and to finish off the products required would be a euro cylinder to suit and escutcheons.
The other main application is your door handle set which will go alongside a euro mortice lock.
The main choice here is whether you would like a door handle set on a rose or a plate. Many go with a plate on the front door and on rose internally.
Depending on this choice would change what else you would require alongside your front door handles.
Which design should I consider?
Obviously, there are many different styles of front door handles available.
The beauty of going with a pull handle is that you can have a completely different style on the entrance than inside. Just make sure it combines well with your other elements.
There are options to keep the same style as your internal door handles and select a pull handle. This can be seen with our Brooklyn range of products below.
Use your front door to make a statement, not just in visual look, but in how sturdy the product is, how it all combines to form an entire element. That is what makes a difference when selecting front door handles.
There are other aspects you might need to think about in your specific case, so it’s always encouraged to reach out to a professional for advice. Our team is always available so if you would like to ask questions, we will get an answer back to you quickly.
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