Despite what you may have heard, doorknobs are not simply utilitarian tools that allow us to move from one room to the next without breaking down doors.
They can be architectural details collected by lovers of antiques or they can be plain and simple balls. While their utilitarian role certainly is paramount, doorknobs come in a multitude of sizes, shapes and ages that can affect a room’s personality.
“Hardware gives an immediate identity” to a room, said Marlene J. Rimland, a Chicago-based interior designer specializing in middle- to high-end residences.
At its most basic, the doorknob is bright brass and round, probably imported from China or South Korea, and costs about $6 a set at the hardware store. At the front door, a plain knob and deadbolt set, for which the same key opens both, runs between $18 and $37; a handle set with a thumb latch, which comes with a deadbold and is popular for front doors, can cost $83 to $119, according to Joan Borczyk, area manager for hardware at a Chicago Handy Andy. She said most better-made knobs are made in the U.S.
Inside the house, there are three basic types of knobs: a passage set, which is one knob on each side; a mortise bolt, with a knob on one side and a small turning piece on the other; and a dummy kob, for a door that clicks closed.
Their shapes include the ubiquitous ball as well as egg, lever and variations thereof, including ornate scrolling of the lever or a design on a flattened knob. They can be made of brass, chrome, porcelain and crystal.
Brass is the most common, experts agreed. At the most chi-chi end, brass can be made to look like 18-karat gold. Knobs of that pedigree can cost $300 a set, Rimland said.
At the higher end, solid brass knobs by top manufacturers, such as Baldwin Hardware or Jado, can cost up to $200 for a passge set, she said.
Doorknobs, like so many types of hardware in the home, can make or break most any remodeling scheme. Rimland said home builders have become more aware of their importance and in recent years hae made more of an effort to achieve design consistency among knobs, hinges and other permanent hardware accessories in the home.
Curt Thorstensen, who helps buyers choose options at the Hibernia subdivision in Highland Park , where custom homes cost from $550,000 to more than $1 million, said the standard knob is round, with a matching handle set at the front door, and is made by Schlange. A lot of buyers are choosing lever-style doorknobs, which are bout a $300 upgrade, he said.
A few buyers are choosing solid brass knobs by Ashley Norton of England. These cost about $3,000 for a 12-room house, Thorstensen said. Baldwin brand knobs cost twice that, he added.
No matter the decor-Oriental, deco, contemporary or traditional-there are doorknobs to match, Rimland said. Most of her clients are buying knobs in the $60-$75 range, she said.
Another consideration is whether knobs conform to universal design standards inspired by the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rimland added. Knobs that are more easily opened by, for example, older arthritic hands are gaining in popularity.
