Grand Entry Doors - Using Cremone Bolts to Secure Tall Doors

The Heroic Hedgerow door grip as is clear from its name is a substantial piece whose size, detail and beauty make it a perfect choice for large scaled single or double entry doors. For security, we recommend a mortise lock and use the American made Accurate mortise lock, an industry leader known for their superior locks. The lock is incorporated using an unobtrusive rose and a keyed mortise deadbolt whose size does not detract from the dramatic tree grips.

Large double doors can be made even more secure with a rod bolt that when engaged locks the door into the header and threshold. These types of bolt are often referred to as Cremone bolts or Espagnolettes and they have been used for centuries. The less mechanized form of this bolt is available for our Willow collection. We are currently developing a mechanized and long form of this bolt for both the Willow and Hedgerow collections.

Our motivation to extend the Cremone bolt collection stems from the limitations of the multi-point lock which is the modern-day equivalent to the Espagnolettes. Multi-point locks are designed to be concealed within the door stile and usually function with an exterior lever. Door levers are necessarily small in scale as they need to be easy to grip and depress by even the smallest of hands. The escutcheon needs to be proportional to the lever and the result is a handle set that is overshadowed by the door. Some multi-point locks use a knob to activate the lock but again the scale of this is inappropriate for larger doors. While certain manufacturers appear to offer a multi-point grip.

Baroque carving a training ground for nature inspired door handles

The Willow collection of custom door handles in part owes its existence to Martin Pierce’s early training as a wood carver. On leaving school at 16 he served an apprenticeship as wood carver and finisher and spent countless hours carving acanthus leaves, oak leaves and acorns as decorations for reproduction baroque furniture. The training was invaluable in developing carving and drawing skills and for focusing his awareness on leaf styles and movement in nature.

As a free-lance wood carver, Martin was able to reflect nature in a less stylized manner and he began sculpting trees and leaves with more fluid lines. As an antique reproduction carver Martin’s work was limited by the formality of each period he was copying. As a hardware designer and pattern maker his work is now constrained by the practical needs imposed by door hardware. In this composite shot you can see how the same willow leaves have been sculpted to act as small tight easy to hold knob for door bolts and how the same leaves have been carved as a looser vortex of flowing leaves to make a large entry door knob whose purpose is largely decorative.

Swirling Vortex of Leaves Central to the Willow Collection

The pattern for the center of the Willow leaf vortex  was carved in basswood and then painted with a grey primer to conceal the grain and pores of the wood and too create a smooth surface for reproduction in wax (red image). The wax replica is made by creating a mold from the pattern and it is approximately 4% smaller than the pattern.

A surface bolt and matching doorbell complete the Willow door hardware collection

Exterior doors are designed to allow you and your guests access to a building and make it possible to enter and exit said building.  And since every building obviously has a door, if not several,  people do not give them much thought.  During the design of the building you make decisions on door and hardware style, location and the finishes such as paint color and whether you want bronze or steel hardware.  But it is also necessary to consider security and ease of operation when it comes time to select your door hardware.

Door knobs, levers, backplates and locks are all part of a door's hardware and, like every successful team, they work together.  However, some door configurations require additional items.  For example, double doors for styles that include french doors, interior cabinet doors and dutch doors will also need a surface or Cremone bolt that is designed to keep one door in place when the adjoining door is open.  We have added a cremone bolt to our Willow collection, making it possible for you to fully coordinate the hardware in any space.  We recently paired this collection with magnificent Hedgerow Heroic Trees entry door pulls for a spectacular look.

Hospitality and residential designers alike know that attention to detail is the key to a well-designed space and the coordinating Willow door bell seen in the center of the photo above will add that all important detail to any project.

To view each of these collections, along with our entire collection of architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers can visit the showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA  90016

323 939 5929