How to Select Door Hardware

This is a sponsored post for Schlage®. All opinions are 100% my own.

I didn't realize it until my husband and I bought our first house. Our real estate agent had her work cut out for her with us as clients. I was one of those people that couldn't just walk into a home and see good bones, nope. I walked into the home and started picking apart the details. The doors, the knobs, the trim, the faucets. It's actually a little surprising because I wouldn't say that I'm a very detail oriented person. However, I do like a good finishing touch and I feel like that is what a door knob or a handle or a faucet is. It's like the bow on a pretty package. One of the first things we replaced when we moved into our first home 18 years ago were the door handles. I actually received them all as a birthday gift from my parents. That's probably when I knew I was officially an adult. I recently helped a friend who was making updates on her home choose new interior door hardware. Her home had the original hardware from when it was built in the 90's and as they were updating the rest of the home and changing the finishes, they decided to update their door hardware as well. 

I partnered with Schlage® to show you what an easy update it is to change out your door hardware and how this finishing touch is the perfect way to tie the entire home's look together just like that pretty bow does on a package.

 

How to Select Door Hardware

Door hardware can be found in every room. Picking a consistent finish on your door hardware that is used throughout your home is the perfect way to tie all the details together and compliment your homes unique style. Changing out your door hardware is a low-investment and high-impact project that can be done in a day. 

It was simple to use the Schlage® website to find exactly what we were looking for. I used the easy to click on images to help me narrow down my search so we could find the perfect detail that would help tie together the other updates that were being done in the home. One of the big questions when selecting new door hardware is the decision between a knob or a lever. This is something you will need to decide first since most door hardware for interior and exterior come in both styles.

Knob or Lever Door Handles

I personally like the look of a lever; however, there are some knobs that can get me to change my tune. When we replaced all of the door knobs in our first home, we had small kids. I didn't realize how easy levers were to open for small children. I've seen toddlers try to open a door knob and it's like a cartoon. It's like the knobs are covered in something slimy {they are kids, it probably is} and their hand just keeps slipping. Turning a knob is a fine motor skill small children usually haven't mastered. Levers on the other hand are easy to pull down and hang on to {my kids would sometimes dangle from them} until the door swung open. 

I'm not saying this to dissuade you. I simply want you to be fully informed. The ease of opening a lever is actually my favorite feature. If I have my hands full I can use my elbow to push down the lever and open the door. It's perfect for a garage or entry door. Either way, I don't think you can go wrong. 

Choose Your Style

I love that Schlage® believes that style lives in the details and that it's these details that bring everything in the home together. I love so many different kinds of styles from Farmhouse to Mid-Century Modern so sometimes when I see all of the products lined up in a showroom or on a website I have a hard time narrowing down my favorite and making a selection. 

I love that I can use the style selector tool on the Schlage® website to help me pick the style that's right for me. It literally was six clicks and I got the perfect match.

Design Trends are evolving and it's fun to see how a style that was described one way decades ago has changed to include new style. The old Farmhouse trend used to be dark-toned woods but now it includes beautiful soft neutrals overlapping with chippy rusty antiques or industrial features. Satin brass and gold has evolved from something every homeowner was changing to something people can't get enough of. I think it's because they are being blended with whites and tans to create a whole different look than the once dark contrasting colors that were used. 

Pick Your Product

Schlage® has everything you need from keypad deadbolts for your exterior doors to hall closet knobs for your interior doors. You just need to narrow down what you are looking for. Take into account if you want a lock on the door {great for bathroom doors} or non-locking {good for closets} knobs or levers.

Order and Install

You can find Schlage® products online at Amazon.com and at Build.com or at your local home store retailer like Home Depot or Lowe's.

Door hardware can be changed easily by even the most novice handyman. If you can work a screw driver, I have confidence in you that you could change out your door hardware.

My friend had been working on making updates in their home. They had installed polished nickel finishes throughout updating bathroom fixtures and getting ready to tackle a kitchen update which is why they selected the polished nickel Sacramento levers to replace their current gold knobs.

In a day, all of the door knobs had been updated to beautiful polished nickel levers throughout the home.

  

If you have been thinking about doing an update in your home, it's easy to start with changing out your door knobs. It's like putting the bow on the present. You won't believe what a difference this detail will make.

disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Schlage®. All opinions are 100% my own. I wouldn't tell you about it if I didn't love it. Promise.