By Shyam Motwani, Godrej & Boyace Mfg Co Ltd

Contemporary, traditional or minimalistic, no matter what your personal décor style is, your choice of architectural hardware can enhance the overall look and function of your interior setup.

Home owners are often guilty of overlooking the importance of selecting the right architectural hardware for their homes. These household fixtures are as integral to your décor as the Grecian centrepiece you selected for your living room. The right fittings play a significant role in modern home décor and can make a world of difference as far as the function and aesthetics of your house are concerned.

With builders cutting corners and carpenters not being in a position to give you the right advice, it is possible that the hardware installations in most buildings may be mismatched, outdated, or worse, of substandard quality. So here are few points to consider before picking up the right architectural hardware.

Pick the right material

Bear in mind that architectural hardware fittings go through a lot of handling throughout their lifetime. Pick a durable hardware in a material that could resist wear and tear. The minimum lifecycle of hardware is of 50,000 cycles. Thus, it is imperative that your hardware must continue to perform efficiently during this period; and even beyond it. However, when you cut corners opting for a hardware that uses inferior material, you bargain not just on the cost but functionality and durability.

Over the years, inferior materials tend to corrode; especially, in a humid coastal environment in metros like Chennai and Mumbai. Experts recommend using the corrosion-resistant stainless steel hardware of grade 304 (SS 304) especially in bathrooms and kitchens where the hardware is in constant contact with moisture.

A close competitor for SS 304 in durability is brass which also adds an ethnic touch to your fittings. The older it gets, the more ornate it looks. For those with a slightly muted taste, zinc alloy would be the ideal choice. Both these materials are widely popular in India and is an efficient alternative to SS 304 because it both durable and economical.

Permanent Visual Delight (PVD)

The homemakers today are shifting their focus from cost to design. While picking the right door handles for your homes, it’s important to select the right finish for the hardware. Today, consumer preference has been veering towards satin steel and satin nickel finish which enhances the contemporary aesthetics of modern homes. At the same time, consumers are now open to experiments with bright, dark and matte chrome plating which assure longevity of the hardware. With ethnic being an evergreen motif used at homes, antique finish hardware in copper, nickel and bronze has witnessed many takers in south India. Consumers are also gauging products on durability.

Today, hardware replacement cycles are getting shorter with the concept of interior designing trickling down to the aspirational middle-class. Hence, consumers want their products to ‘look and perform as new’ during their entire lifecycle. Hardware manufacturers thus are now focusing on Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) coating to make the products maintain their finish through the lifecycle. For the ease of understanding of consumers, many even colloquially refer PVD as ‘Permanent Visual Delight’. It is essentially a finish wherein the hardware fitting is coated with a thin film of a corrosion-resistant material to ensure their long life.

Stay consistent in style

With small tweaks in the hardware, you can change theme of your interiors, be it modern, minimalistic or bohemian. Many home owners make the mistake of selecting hardware that may clash with design theme they are aiming for. Bejewelled brass handles may look jarring if the rest of the house is done up in a minimalistic modern style. Irrespective of your style preference, keep the hardware consistent with the rest of the styling.

Insist on quality hardware

A strong main door not only creates a lasting first impression, but also ensures security and peace of mind, which is why we pick the best wood for the front door. However, a common mistake is to overlook the quality of the hinges that hold these heavy doors. As a result, it’s not very uncommon to see doors getting jammed during monsoon. It is important that a corrosion resistant and sturdy SS 304 hinge is used to hold the main door.

While three hinges will suffice for the lighter bathroom doors and flush doors, your front door should ideally be supported with five thick and superior grade stainless steel hinges so that they hold the door firmly to the frame. Similarly, a sub-standard mortise or RIM lock might look easy on the pocket in the short-run, often such products start malfunctioning in less than three-four years.

In conclusion, it is these little things that make all the difference to the quality of your products and your home. A little cost-saving by bargaining on the quality of hardware may cost you dearly in the long-run.

The author of this article is the Executive Vice President and Business Head of Godrej Locking Solutions and Systems.

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