The ['details
Final Touch es
by Joe Surkiewitz
Getting a handle on hardware.
PHOTOGRA PHY BY STEVE B ROWN.
few years ago, the selection of cabinet pulls, doorknobs, and bath-
room accessories was a last-minute task often left to the home
builder or renovation contractor. But today's home owners are
more apt to make those hardware choices themselves, and a
growing variety of styles, materials, and finishes is meeting the
demand.
Today kitchen hardware consists of many shapes and sizes. Mangles,
rectangles and asymmetrical shapes are in vogue. And there are just as
many finishes — bright chrome, dull chrome, oil-rubbed bronze, satin
brass and midnight black.
A growing trend is split finishes for bath hardware — usually combi-
nations of chrome and brass. The chrome integrat e s well with existing
fixtures, while the brass adds a warmer ambience to the room.
Kitchens often look brighter with split finishes that incorporate col-
or. Some brass knobs have Corian insets that match the countertops to
coordinate the entire room. Synthetic materials such as Corian are show-
ing up in many faux finishes for traditional and contemporary kitchens.
Retailers report a significant trend in door hardware — an increase in
sales of levers as alternatives to doorknobs. Levers are more convenient
for the elderly and the disabled. They are easier to work and just as styl-
ish.
Today there are choices to get the right handle on any room. ❑
Lek the solid brass
Halam Pull door handle
from Beemak. Right,
for the back-to-basics
traditionalist, Broadway
makes its Colony White
porcelain spigots, sold
with matching faucet.
Available at Herald
Wholesale and special
order at Management
Specialties Corp.
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