Get a handle on it!

Refresh your home’s interior with some new door handles.

UNLESS YOU ARE fortunate enough to have moved into a brand-new residence with the most elegant of custom finishes, chances are there are all sorts of elements in your home that are a bit run-down, a bit outdated, or a bit bland.

The good news is that many of those are quite easy to fix! It’s best to focus on elements that are used every day, which should not only look nice, but also have a pleasant tactile quality to them. And where better to start than the door handle? You could go for slick aluminium, or shiny stainless steel, or olde- worlde brass – the choices are extensive.

Most door-opening systems comprise a handle built into a face plate, and the latch and locking mechanism inside the body of the door. The face plates that the handles are attached to are screwed on to the two sides of the door, and a metal rod connects the two handles, allowing them to operate the latch part that’s hiding within the door structure. You do not necessarily need to replace the inner latch and lock mechanism, but new face plates and handles often come with those elements included in the pack.

Unscrew any face plates and handles that you want to change and take them with you to the hardware shop to make sure the new ones have screw holes in similar positions – most handles are standardised. If the holes are slightly different, you can easily drill new ones, but matching them up is a whole lot easier.

Now, simply attach your new face plates and handles to the door, making sure the metal rod runs through the latch mechanism inside. There couldn’t be an easier way of getting a grip on sprucing up your home!