Door handles and doorknobs are available in a wide range of styles, but doors can often be styled differently for various rooms. So, you might be wondering if your door handles and knobs should match throughout the entire house. Using identical designs in every room can create consistency, but it may sometimes begin to feel redundant. We have carefully researched if you need to use the same door handles and knobs in every room.
No, door handles and knobs don’t need to match throughout your house. However, it is still crucial that each door handle remains consistent with the house's overall style. Also, the handles and knobs should coordinate with the style of the doors and rooms. Doors and rooms are subject to change their appearance based on their intended purpose.
It may be easy to overlook door handles because they are used every day, but their ability to pop can seriously affect the room’s appearance. Keep reading to learn how to mix door handles properly, what to match them with, and if they need to be paired with the door hinges.
Can you mix door handles and knobs?
Yes, it is possible to mix these features throughout your home. But you will have to consider their proximity and the broad interior design of your home. This will ensure that your doorknobs do not conflict with each other.
For example, if you have a cozy, farmhouse-style living room, sleek and jet black door handles would look out of place. And pairing different styles of door handles within the same space, such as a hallway, will always look odd.
Also, consider that mixing the handles too much may reduce the acceptable level of consistency inside your home. While too many identical door handles might seem redundant, too many unique handles can feel chaotic. It can also become more expensive than purchasing a set.
As with any interior design, balance is the key to a successful home. You can achieve this by creating a clear relationship between different door handles. If they are all rustic, then they will feel similar enough even if they have a different shape.
Door handles are small but highly noticeable, and they will mainly be determined by carefully matching various aspects of their surroundings.
What should doorknobs match?
It is always important to ensure that each of your door handles and knobs is clearly coordinated with the door and the room and house overall. The order isn’t always important, and your personal preferences may allow for unusual choices. But it would be best if you always established a distinct consistency.
Matching the House
We sometimes add affiliate links and content that was curated and created by our team with the help of advanced ai tools to help showcase the best design styles.
Your home will typically have an overall interior design, such as a beach house or abstract style. This can govern most, if not all, of the décor and furniture throughout the home.
These ideas are broad enough that it becomes relatively easy to select a matching door handle. As long as the handles will agree with your larger scene, you can use them as a uniform representation of the house’s style.
Although it isn’t actually necessary to use everything for your overarching theme, it is still a crucial foundation that you shouldn’t stray from too much. Using handles that agree with it will allow you to make the décor and doors a little more creative without losing the overall theme of your interior design.
Matching the Room
It is also important to consider that each room is still subject to change based on its intended purpose. For example, a nursery or bathroom may have very different styles, even if they remain consistent with a modern and minimalist look.
Because bathrooms are so small, they tend to be brighter colors and neutrals, such as white. This makes the space feel a little more open than it truly is. It may look unappealing if you use a dark, contrasting door handle here, just so that it can match the rest of the handles in your home.
You can read the post "What Color Doorknobs With White Doors?" for tips on how to pair them correctly.
Matching the Door
The room’s purpose can ultimately affect the door's look, too, resulting in various paint schemes and styles. The doors to your garage, hallway closet, or laundry room may not match the doors to your bedrooms. A door is highly unlikely to create contrast with its adjoining room because it shares the same purpose.
As such, the door can then dictate the ideal style for your handle. Because a door and handle share the same immediate space, creating too much contrast between the two can look very unbalanced.
You should also consider the practicality of matching your door. If you have one or more hallway closets, it may be ideal to use smaller, flat handles. That way, they won’t accidentally protrude and disrupt the clean lines of your hallway.
Matching a unique area
Or, you can combine a matching set of door handles with a single accent doorknob. Accents include any pieces of décor which are designed to be unique in a space. But an accent door handle will only look intentional if there is a high level of consistency in the surrounding area.
For example, bathrooms serve a totally unique purpose in the home. You can emphasize this by matching all of the other door handles in your home except for a single glass doorknob in the bathroom. This highlights the significance of the room. The strategy will work for other areas like a home office, display room or basement entrance.
Click here to see these crystal door knobs on Amazon.
Should door hinges match doorknobs?
Because the hinges and door handles will operate together as a single unit, it is often ideal for matching the hinges with the doorknobs. They do not necessarily have to be identical, but they should remain close enough in style to feel cohesive.
Click here to find these matte black door hinges on Amazon.
The hinges and handles are the only visible hardware on the door. Since hardware has a very unique look compared to a smooth paint job, you will have three separate styles in one small area. So, creating too much contrast could easily make the door look too busy.
Is it Okay to mix brushed nickel and bronze?
Brushed nickel is a metallic color that often resembles stainless steel. But it is also known to have a warmer temperature than stainless steel, and you can often describe it as having yellow or white undertones.
Click here to see this nickel door handle on Amazon.
This warmth can allow brushed nickel and bronze to agree, in some circumstances. Although bronze is typically associated with a brown metallic look, it may also have more yellow or gold variations.
Also, brown is a near-neutral that can already feel warmer than stainless steel. That's because stainless steel tends to have cool blue undertones. You can read the post "How To Clean Bronze Faucets [And Other Bronze Bathroom Fixtures]" if you select bronze handles for your bathroom.
Click here to find these bronze door knobs on Amazon.
However, bronze has more of a rustic style than the sleek, shiny appearance of brushed nickel. And most bronze handles will usually have a darker brown appearance. This may not be cohesive enough for interior designs that demand a lot of consistency.
For example, minimalist rooms would likely not welcome the warm, earthy look of bronze door handles. Interior designs that are more flexible, like arts-and-crafts style, are ideal for mixing styles and creating bold highlights.
What color door knobs are in style?
Click here to find this matte black door knob on Amazon.
Matte black doorknobs are currently trending because they balance practicality and boldness. White is the most commonly used neutral in any home because it can warm up an area and make it feel larger without causing any distractions.
However, black door knobs can really pop in an area and still keep all of the flexibility of the traditional white look. Making bold choices, straying from tradition, and adding more personality is more popular lately. This is because people have had more time to restyle. Also, black door knobs will likely give you the freedom to restyle without having to change all of your handles again.
Summary
It can take a lot of time and effort to install brand new door handles for every door in the house. And if you are restyling your home, it’s important to remember that door handles can have a surprising impact on their surroundings. So, it’s crucial to understand the relationships between door handles and the doors, hinges, rooms, or interior design. As long as you know how to maintain consistency throughout the home, you can freely make it your own.