One of my 2017 house resolutions was to fix our interior doors and replace the handle sets so that the doors actually close. I’m happy to report that all the doors finally close and the baby gate is gone from our living room! Hallelujah! I considered a bunch of options before I landed on what would work. Here’s a roundup of what I looked at plus a few more of my favorites.
The decorative components of a handle set include the rose, which is the backplate that goes against the door, and the handle, which is lever or knob. Many companies sell different combinations of roses and handles, so if you see a knob you like but want a different rose, it’s worth digging a little deeper to figure out if the rose/knob combination that you like is available.
In terms of metal finish, I’ve seen a ton of black and brass lately. I like both finishes, but I also wouldn’t overlook the silver finishes. Polished nickel is a really pretty, classic warm silver finish that can add a shiny element to doors without creating a lot of contrast. It’s one of my favorite finishes to use on hardware and plumbing fixtures. Satin nickel acts the same way but is a little toned down if polished nickel feels overly formal for your house. Polished chrome adds a little modern bling to your house and works well if you prefer cooler metal tones.
I ultimately went with an affordable transitional knob and rose that coordinate with our front door hardware. I ended up using satin nickel in our house. because polished nickel seemed a little formal for our little brick townhouse and our front door hardware is satin (although I don’t hate mixing metal at all). I thought about black for the interior handle sets but decided I prefer that the knobs and doors not contrast much in our small upstairs hallway.
This was one of those tasks that made me smack my own forehead and say, “why didn’t we do this earlier?!” It makes such a difference to have matching handle sets in our small house and I LOVE being able to close all the doors.