Custom Designed Door Hardware some common misunderstandings

During the Covid lock down and after weeks of cooking and reading many turned their energies to drawing designs on their mobile devices and in their sketch pads.

This explains why there has been a flood of emails from consumers and the occasional designer who have an idea for a custom door handle they would like made. In the next few posts, I will be tackling the progressive stages involved from taking a design idea to creating a functional door handle or door pull. These 2 types of hardware are not synonymous as a door handle needs to be designed and engineered so that the knob or lever parts can turn and latch whereas a door pull has no moving parts.

So, let’s begin with the design process and see what needs to be considered.

One design still on the drawing board

Martin Pierce is constantly drawing ideas for door pulls and these typically start with a doodle or sketch done old style with a pencil and sketch book. Many of you will be equally skilled using your mobile device to create a digital drawing and we can consider these provided they are either pdf or jpegs. Regardless of medium the sketch will only be useful if it includes a profile or side view that shows the shape and curvature of the piece and whether it is suitable to work as a grip or pull for your hand (see the palm tree design above) . If you can’t visualize and accurately draw the profile, then it is time for you to re-think your hobbies. However, if you think your design does have potential then please make sure to copyright it even if this is the home version of mailing yourself a copy noting the date and with your signature.

For the ambitious who set out to design a handle they must also design the rose or back-plate. If the handle is to be fixed, then the task is easier as the rose/plate simply must be wide enough to be fastened to the door with screws that will attach both the rose and the knob or lever that will be welded to it. The back-plate and knob/lever are separate castings, and I will explain in a subsequent post why they cannot be created as one casting as well as what additional design drawings are required for a functional door set.

The scale and dimensions of your handle need to be added to your design including the depth for your profile. The depth or thickness of your design will have a direct impact on the weight of the cast handle. The heavier the piece the higher the cost as more bronze or stainless steel will be used in casting.

Leaf Designs in Door Hardware

The creative process is as unique and unfathomable as the brain it resides in. When I have listened to authors and composers answering the question of where and how they get their inspiration there appears to be a myriad of sources.  The same holds true when it comes to designing door hardware  and  Martin Pierce’s designs reflect the eclectic nature of his source material ranging from oceanic shapes to tree bark and bird wings to name just a few.

As a result,  Martin always has a sketch book on hand to doodle in his designs as they occur to him but a large number of his designs also come  from a more structured and practical need either to  develop additional pieces for a popular collection or to meet a designer’s need for a specific project.

See Castings of the Willow Design shown on the left

 Not all of the designs make it off the drawing board and indeed I would hazard a guess that less than 10% make the leap.  When designing a new piece there can be as many as 4 or more alternatives that materialize on paper and if the project is commissioned by a designer then alternative concepts can be useful in hammering out practical site issues or scale questions.

We keep all of these sketches as source material for future designs and this is how I came across some of the leaf designs shown here. The Willow door pull came from a need to create a flush pull and resulted in 3 designs one of which is currently in used in Willow collection.

The leaf hinge design is still in the design stage where it will remain until we have sufficient hinge designs to complement our other collections.

The Vine collection is a popular series and the new leaf and grape design shown here is already taking shape as a sculpted wooden pattern.

How Martin Pierce spends the final days of summer

Our beloved pitbull, Iris, certainly has the right idea!  Since Iris joined our family a few years ago she has become a very loving and affectionate dog and enjoys sharing tea in the music room with our guests and friends.  Lounging lazily in the den and soaking up the sun sounds inviting to me as well.

As the lazy days of summer begin to disappear we are busy working on several new projects that we look forward to sharing with you in the coming months.  In the meantime, here is a quick review of some of our custom hardware products that will remind you that fall is just around the corner.

How do you enjoy these last remaining days of summer?

To view our entire collection of custom architectural hardware please visit us at www.martinpierce.com