Latest Trends in Door Handles & How to Choose Well

by Carlisle Homes

Door handles, pulls and knobs are like jewellery for your home! Here’s how to choose well for your home’s interior.

Door hardware might seem like a small detail, but select the right style and it can elevate the look of your entire home. At Carlisle Homes we offer supremely stylish door handles, knobs and pulls in a huge choice of finishes so you can create a unique look. Our interior door hardware is supplied by leading European brands Assa Abloy and Hafele – makers of premium architectural hardware. Keen to make your front door more secure? We’ve got you covered there too, with a selection of entry locksets and deadbolts from Assa Abloy and trusted brand Lockwood.

Read on to discover what’s fashionable in door hardware, along with practical tips for selecting the right styles.

The main hardware styles

Knobs: These can be round, oval or egg-shaped and allow you to open a door when turned They can be used on interior or external doors. Exterior door knobs will generally have a lock in the centre. 

Levers: A horizontal lever that you push down to open a door, with a latch that closes the door when it needs to be shut. A popular choice for interior doors. Levers are generally easier for elderly adults and those with a disability to grip than pulls and knobs. 

Pulls: This simple type of handle is the go-to choice for kitchen and bathroom cabinetry as it allows you to simply pull a door or drawer open. Take your pick from cup pulls, D pulls and loop pulls.

Dummy lever: A non-turning door lever that you use like a door pull. Suitable for pantry and laundry cupboard doors.

Privacy handles: These are common in bathrooms and bedrooms where locking is required. Privacy handles either have a thumb turn or a snib that allows you to lock the door from the inside, with an emergency release access hole or slot on the outside. Perhaps the most popular locking mechanism is the privacy pin. This has an easy push-in function that allows you to lock the door, and unlock the door seamlessly using the handle lever.

Hardware finishes

Door hardware comes in a vast range of colours and finishes, including chrome, brass, copper, porcelain, glass, leather, black and white. While there’s no rule that says all the hardware in your home needs to match, you’ll want it to harmonise with the colours and finishes of the room it’s going into, and suit the style of the space.

The latest door hardware trends favour finishes such as timber, satin brass and brushed gold, which add a sense of warmth to the home. Coloured handles are also in vogue; think black or white powder-coated metal levers and door pulls that bring a casual and contemporary vibe to a space. While perhaps not as practical as a metal or powder-coated finish, which are easy to clean and won’t stain, handcrafted leather door pulls are another popular choice for kitchen cabinetry.

Meanwhile stainless steel and chrome are timeless finishes that never date. They suit homes with cool palettes and a classic or transitional style. Chrome-plated handles have a lustrous finish that adds drama, while stainless steel has a softer and more muted appearance. 

Kitchen & bathroom cabinetry hardware

You can choose from a vast range of hardware styles for the kitchen and bathrooms in your new Carlisle home, including curved and rectangular pulls in nickel, black and white for a modern look, flat, brushed gold knobs for a touch of glamour, and antique-style cup pulls in aged brass or pewter to suit classic and transitional cooking and bathing spaces. 

If you have sleek, flat-fronted cabinetry consider minimalist handles, such as a slender and streamlined D pull in chrome, matt black or white. Or, if you have  Shaker-style or VJ-profile cabinetry, add an authentic feel with traditional hardware, such as a cup pulls for drawers paired with knobs for doors in stainless steel or an antique pewter. Alternatively, add an organic and handmade feel to your kitchen by specifying oversized, flat timber knobs or leather tab pulls.

You can make a statement by pairing pale timber kitchen or bathroom cabinetry with look-at-me hardware in black or copper. Or, set a more casual, Scandi tone by opting for clean-lined, matt white pulls and knobs. Create a sense of flow by matching them with white light fixtures and display items on your benchtop. 

If you have a dark timber vanity or kitchen cabinetry, create an eye-catching contrast by pairing it with white D pulls or loop pulls in satin brass. If a more muted aesthetic is your style, combine it with matt black hardware or vintage-look hardware in antique iron.

How to choose with confidence

When it comes to selecting the shape of your hardware, it’s a good idea to take your cues from your fixtures. So, if your basin and tapware are rounded, consider rounded pulls or knobs. If your fixtures are squared off, go for more square-edged knobs or rectangular pulls.

But shape, colour and finish aren’t the only things to think about – also consider whether you want to use knobs, pulls or a mixture of the two. Knobs are suitable for most drawers, apart from large ones that contain heavy items such as pots or pull-out storage, in which case a drawer pull is preferable.

Scale is another important consideration; assess the size of drawers or cabinetry panels when selecting hardware and make sure it fits proportionally. As a general rule, you’ll want pull length to be around one third of the width of the cabinet or drawer.  

Interior door hardware

The interior doors in your home are the main touchpoints as you move from one room to another, so you’ll want to choose hardware that feels good in the hand and complements the style of your interior. 

You have a choice of six stunning levers in a satin chrome finish for the internal doors of your new Carlisle home. These styles boast elegant, pared-back lines and are versatile enough to fit into a variety of home styles. You’ve also got the option to upgrade to lockable privacy levers (ideal for rooms such as bedrooms and bathrooms), and doorstops to prevent the levers from damaging your walls and fixtures.

Front door hardware

When it comes to front-door handle trends, clean, simple lines and modern finishes such as black and stainless steel are popular options right now.

The front door of your new Carlisle home comes with a Lockwood Symmetry Entrance set in polished or satin stainless steel as standard. But you can make a bolder statement by upgrading to one of our many lever-style front door sets in polished chrome or matt black. Alternatively, opt for a slender, vertical pull handle in matt black or satin chrome to give your entrance a minimalist, modern look.

For enhanced security, you may wish to upgrade to a deadbolt for your front door. These come in round and square styles in your choice of matt black or chrome, allowing you to match them with your entrance set or handle for a cohesive look.

With all the finer details ticked off, your beautiful new room scheme is complete!