In recent years in the door hardware industry the color black has been influential as interior design. Black is not a common finish and needs to be considered before pursuing this finish for your home interior.
The color black has generally been associated with pirates, darkness, and things of evil. Today however the color black is seen as a neutral background allowing objects of color to stand in the fore ground. Black is a color you see, but don't see. The darkness off black eliminates shadow and allows the rainbow to shine.
Door hardware over the last few years has delivered black finish to many products. The desire from customers for black has produced a unique arrangement of items in black. Not only but also various shades of black from charcoal to satin black adorn door handles in the industry.
The Color of Money
Overtime brass, chrome and satin chrome have adorned all door handle products. Once brass being the chosen color of the wealthy with chrome the upper class affordable finish. Today brass and chrome whilst equally popular have taken a back seat to a variety of alternate finishes.
We see antique finishes even more popular along with nickel, stainless steel, and various shades appearing on the market. Graphite is amongst the range of black finishes that are also proving popular. What we have is an open market for finishes to suit more design styles.
Door hardware is not just a means to transgress from one room to another. Door hardware is the jewelry of the home. It is the means by which we travel, enclose and display that which is beyond. Opening a door is no longer a simplistic chore, it is all about the hardware, the finish and the style.
Black by Design
Black is the color that merges well with almost any theme. The aesthetic appeal and color of the accessories that you purchase shine above the black darkness of background. It is not only important to choose accessories that look amazing but accessories that are functional.
According to professional designers, the black darkness allows for better visual communication. Even though brass and nickel are popular for doors, a matt black color is taking a shine to design interiors. This darkness or neutral black shade and texture extracts the beauty of the accessories and the door handles that you have chosen to live within your home.
Matt black or any shade of black including graphite, can enhance almost any design styling. Be it black on white or white on black, the color of choice will shine in the illusion of blackness. These days the shade of black color is available on almost everything from kitchen accessories to wall arts.
Don't Follow Trends
You can match the interiors of your home with the accessories and the hardware that you buy for your doors. Choose the accessories and handles intelligently and your house will soon be a reason for your neighbor’s envy.
Before choosing the matt black finish for the accessories and hardware, you must consider a few things:
The design of the handles,
the style of the accessories you are choosing, and
the entire décor of the house.
Black merges effortlessly with the classic and contemporary. It is the color that is both feminine and masculine. Black is the color that can merge well with almost any theme and color. Don't follow trends, it's too common. Create your own theme and style.
Black Finish Truth
There is a range of black finishes. They vary from manufacturer and finisher. When ordering door hardware be aware of finish differences from suppliers. It is not always possible to achieve the same black finish on all products. It is also wise to understand all blacks are not the same as there are many shades of black.
The desired finish on one product is unlikely to be the same finish on another even if the same color is quoted. In part this is due to varying materials being used and how they affect the product finish. As an example, if you view a color chart sample of black you will see the shade variations of black.
We tell you this to prepare you for obstacles when selecting door hardware. A company that manufactures door handles with a black finish, may not be the same company that manufactures hinges with a black finish. Hence two varieties of black will be observed. Very few companies manufacture all door hardware products. We have first hand experience of two very differing black finishes from the same supplier but different manufacturers.
Solutions To Black Finishes
We do not wish to discourage you. Being prepared for obstacles is apart of the door hardware business. What we encourage is to pursue your desire for black door hardware and be prepared for subtle change to take place.
Any finish be it brass, satin chrome or even chrome will have various shading differences when compared to different items of the 'same finish'. The material used affects the final finish.
Companies that manufacture the majority of their products, for example from brass, like Designer Doorware, can provide one finish within 'manufacturing controls'. There is still scope for variations though, i.e. when you consider heat treatment to apply finishes.
The Color Black
A door handle in any black finish can be complimented with hinges in a base matt black finish. Hinges in black will probably be of black powder coating which is going to have a semi gloss finish.
If your handles are very matt, the semi gloss black hinge is going to look out of place.
Solution: A black powder coat that is semi gloss can be gently rubbed back to give a very matt surface finish. Alternatively you can spray paint the face of the hinge with a quality matt black. There are ways to closely color 'match' your hardware. How far will you go?
Conclusion
A new trend in finishes is the use of colors. We wrote an article on it here: Handles In Color
The concern with colored door handles is the lack of complimentary hardware, like hinges. The difficulty here is achieving the same coloring as the handle if that is desired on other door hardware accessories. No one who's honest can guarantee a uniform color finish on all products.
What is important to remember is that any finish is not necessarily going to be uniform throughout. This is normal and has been so since the beginning of time. What is imagined or desired may not be 100% achievable. However that has not stopped those who wanted an interior of style, design, uniqueness, and complimentary color finished door hardware.
At Architectural Design Hardware we offer quality products and finishes available from International as well as Australasian door hardware companies. We do our best to achieve results given those restraints that are not within our powers. We have over 35 years experience in this industry. We are here to share that experience with you.
Visit our showroom and ask questions, see products, feel the door hardware. We are open and you are welcome.
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