Decorating Understated Doors

Decorating Understated Doors

Whether an armoire or a front door, lighter wood tones can be used to create a striking architectural statement — think black dress with a ruby pendant.

A modest armoire crafted from pale vertical-grain Douglas fir plywood became the canvas for these sculptural vine cabinet pulls, finished in rich autumnal hot patinas. The warmth of the bronze, with layered reds, greens, and browns, brings depth and movement to the simplicity of the wood.

Bronze vine cabinet pull with torch-applied hot patina, revealing layered reds, greens, and oxidized depth across the leaf surface.

At a larger scale, the organic lines of the bronze Morphic entry door handle, finished in a dark patina, transform a quiet cedar surface into a bold architectural focal point. The contrast of the soft bronze contours against the striated wood creates a powerful yet understated entry statement.

-Morphic bronze entry handle commissioned by Andrew Bald for his Coogee, Australia residence. Photo credit: Andrew Bald.

The Process Explained

Applying hot patinas combines chemistry with artistry.

A blow torch raises the bronze surface temperature to approximately 200°F, causing the metal to expand and its surface pores to open. This increased surface energy allows the chemical solution to penetrate more deeply and bond more effectively than it would on cold metal.

The green, red, and brown vine leaf patinas were created using cupric and ferric nitrates dissolved in distilled water and applied by brush to specific areas of the pull. As heat is applied, the water evaporates instantly and the nitrates react with the copper in the bronze, forming colored oxides or patinas. The result is a richly layered surface that is both chemically bonded and artistically controlled.

This armoire was created for a friend’s 600 square foot cabin, with an even smaller 120 square foot bedroom — proof that scale and presence are not determined by square footage, but by thoughtful design.

Douglas fir armoire fitted with sculptural bronze vine cabinet pulls finished in layered red and green hot patina

Morphic Custom Entry Door Handle

In a recent project, a guest who stayed at the prestigious 5-star Post Oak Hotel in Houston reached out to us after admiring the striking Morphic entry door pulls designed by Martin Pierce. These original sculptural handles, created in collaboration with Gensler Houston, were custom-designed for the hotel’s grand ballroom, meeting rooms, and boardroom doors. At an impressive 5 feet in height, the handles were sized to complement the building’s monumental architecture.

Shown here on a double door at Martin Pierce’s studio

For this new residential project, our client sought the same dramatic impact but with scale appropriate for an 8-foot tall single entry door. We reduced the Morphic handles to 4 feet in height to provide balance while maintaining their signature elegance and tactile appeal. Rather than the more variegated patina used at the hotel, the client preferred a more uniform finish. To achieve this, we applied a controlled, water-based patina to the silicon bronze handles, giving them a rich, charred appearance that will continue to evolve over time with use and exposure.

The location of the home—just steps from the ocean—also guided our material choice. To withstand the corrosive effects of salt air, we used silicon bronze, an alloy known for its durability and resistance to rust. Unlike iron-based metals, silicon bronze forms a natural protective layer when exposed to air and moisture, making it ideal for marine environments.

The Morphic collection is also available in 316 stainless steel, a marine-grade alloy with high levels of chromium and molybdenum that help prevent rust, even in coastal climates. While it contains iron, its unique composition creates a self-repairing surface layer that protects the underlying metal from corrosion.

The images below show the scaled-down Morphic bronze pulls mounted on a mock-up door, photographed at our Los Angeles studio. This project highlights Martin Pierce’s ability to adapt original sculptural designs to suit both aesthetic and environmental needs—all handcrafted in the USA.