Decorative Hardware

 Not all houses have fences, gates and driveways.  The majority of homes, however, understandably have locks on their doors.  Door locks keep undesirable individuals from entering other people’s dwellings, besides protecting residents from thieves and other criminals.  Some of the common locking mechanisms for house doors are the bar latch, the deadbolt, the chain, and the knob lock.

Door locks may or may not require keys.  The bar latch, the deadbolt, and the chain are all keyless door features that provide protection to homeowners and can halt or delay unwanted entries.  The knob lock, on the other hand, works with a mere press of the knob button, but needs a key to open the door from the other side. To beef up security, a number of homes have alarms and other protective devices attached to their doors, which are activated when an intruder gains entry.  The system tips off the owner that his defense has been breached through a phone call or a prolonged, piercing sound.

A door wouldn’t be complete without some sort of knob or handle to open and close it with.  And because there are different kinds of doors for the various needs of people, door knobs, as you would expect, have diverse functions and types.  Doors may have knobs or levers, handle sets, or deadbolts, depending on their use and location.
 
Knobs or levers are the most prevalent in homes, and they provide anyone of the following purposes:  passage, privacy, or keyed entry.  A door knob or lever with a passage function usually has no locks on either side, which is typical for hall and closet doors.  Non-locking and non-latching knobs are also ideal for pantries, whose doors sometimes have only one knob or a singly dummy, and none on the other side.  Bedrooms and bathrooms by and large, need privacy, so their doors have knobs and levers that lock from inside with a turn or push button.  Nearly all front doors call for keyed entry since they are exterior doors.  The knobs on these door types use a key outside and a turn or push button lock inside. Handle sets and deadbolts on doors may be the single or double cylinder kind.  The single cylinder is keyed on the outside only, while the double cylinder requires keys on both sides.  Some handles sets may also have no latch and a non-functioning handle and deadbolt, hence they are called dummy handle sets.

Just the smell of that country air is enough to keep you coming back for more, so shouldn’t the interior of your home have that same effect?  Sure, your home is made of logs and stone, but does it have that special touch that gives it that cozy character?  So maybe we should give it some of that rustic charm. 

Instead of the term “decorative hardware” lets use the lesser known but well fitting phrase “mountain hardware” for your log homes interior design theme.  Maybe instead of a polished brass or chrome finish that’s used on most kitchen cabinet knobs and pulls, try a very unique and different wrought iron look that some companies have to offer when choosing your “mountain hardware”. 

Just remember that the same love and charm you gave to your homes interior, is the same love and charm the blacksmith used in creating the mountain hardware that is now used in it.