GETTING A HANDLE ON GREAT DESIGN
How many times have you admired a great door ? It might be a large door , a wooden door , an old door or a beautifully designed door .
And , unless it ’ s an automatic door , the handle ( or handles ) will have been in keeping with the overall design .
You don ’ t design a great door and then furnish it with ordinary handles .
It ’ s not just about shape either , although that ’ s hugely important . Its also about the materials used to construct the handle , its finish and its patina .
Each is an important factor in deciding what ’ s best for an internal or external door , and one that ’ s perhaps getting extremes of high use .
More and more , designers and architects are looking for something that might create any sort of standout feature and once more turning to bespoke manufacturers and craftsmen rather than a mass production solution .
Charlie Tipper , managing director of Nottingham-based ASH Door Furniture and Entrance Specialists points to his company ’ s ability to create exiting new ranges of finishes and provide a bespoke design service as being the business ’ s stand out feature .
“ Yes , we manufacture door handles , but much more important is that we recognise that in certain projects standard products cannot satisfy all the criteria demanded by the design and specification .
“ So , we have in-house design and manufacturing facilities , which enable us to work closely with customers , so we achieve a practical and unique finished product .
“ We ’ re able to produce full working drawings from an initial sketch , together with costing and delivery periods . We work in hardwood , leather , brass and copper alloys , stainless steel and bronze . We even , on occasions , use driftwood ,” adds Charlie .
Each handle is customisable with a range of diameters , fixing centres and projection heights available .
The designer-led handles are perfect for commercial and residential applications including offices , schools , shops , hospitals , restaurants and hotels .
And as well as a broad range of materials there ’ s an exciting range of finishes , such as Bronze powder Coated , which provides the longevity of a polyester powder coat finish
53 but with the attractive metallic finish achieved through traditional anodised metal .
“ It ’ s suitable for applications where a hard-wearing durable finish is required on high traffic door hardware , whilst offering the ability to match the aesthetics of other metal furnishings contained in a project ,” adds Charlie .
Anodised finishes provide many benefits to our products .
There are no heavy materials used in the anodising process and they can be cleaned periodically with water and mild detergent to restore the product ' s original lustre .
“ The anodised finish becomes a part of the metal and so the anodic coating will not peel or flake and imparts a translucent metallic appearance ; it ’ s unaffected by sunlight , preventing fading and it also does not emit VOCs ( Volatile Organic Compounds ).
“ Using an artificially aged process we can achieve a vintage finish to our products . The new finishes have been successfully used with original fittings and fixtures in historic and period buildings to match a similar finish .
“ Our clients also benefit from using the new Patina finishes , where a rustic theme is required , say for restaurants , hotel lobbies or heritage building restorations .”
For more information visit www . ashardware . co . uk