Not sure which door hardware to choose? Start with our quiz

Has your builder told you to “go and buy door handles”? It’s very easy to assume that door hardware is simply a matter of finding something you like the look of. If only it were that simple!

In reality, choosing door hardware involves far more detail than most people expect. The visible handle is only one part of the decision. Before you order, you need to understand how each door needs to function, what type of door you have, whether the door is new or existing, and which locks, latches, hinges or other hardware are needed to make everything work properly.

And if you're renovating a period home, there's another layer again. The hardware needs to suit the age, architecture and character of the house, not just the current moodboard.

That's why I created our Door Hardware Quiz. It’s a short, practical quiz designed to help you identify the details to consider before choosing door hardware and guide you towards the best next step for your project.

Why door hardware is more involved than most people realise

Door hardware is one of those renovation decisions that can look deceptively simple from the outside. You might start by choosing a finish. Perhaps you know you like antique brass, brushed brass, satin nickel or black. You might then look at a few knobs or levers and assume the rest will fall into place. But the right door hardware depends on much more than the finish.

You need to know whether each door needs to latch, lock, or have a privacy function. You need to know whether the door is hinged, sliding, external, internal, or part of a pair of French doors. You need to consider the door thickness, stile width, existing holes, hinge sizing and backset requirements.

For period homes, the proportions and design of the door matter enormously. Hardware that looks beautiful on one style of door can look awkward or wrong on another. A Victorian four-panel door, an Edwardian three-panel door, a narrow stile door, a new internal door and an existing door with old hardware holes may all need different solutions.

This is where mistakes often happen. Not because people have poor taste, but because they were never given the right questions to ask before ordering.

The most common mistake: choosing the handle first

Most people begin with the handle. That's understandable. It's the part you see, touch and live with every day. It also has a strong visual impact, especially in a period home where the details contribute so much to the feeling of the house.

But the handle should never be chosen in isolation. A door handle or knob needs to work with the door itself. It needs to suit the proportions of the door, the width of the stile, the function of the room, and the latch or lock required.

An existing door may already have holes from previous hardware. A new handle may not cover those holes, or it may require a different latch size. A sliding door will require different hardware to a hinged door. French doors need extra consideration, including whether they're rebated and how the active and inactive doors will function.

This is why good door hardware planning starts with the door, not the product.

Period homes need more considered choices

If you're renovating a period home, door hardware has to do more than function correctly. It also needs to feel as though it belongs.

That doesn't mean everything has to be a perfect museum-quality reproduction. Most people want their homes to be comfortable, practical and suitable for modern life. But new choices should still feel connected to the age and architecture of the house.

A period home is not a blank canvas. Its doors, proportions, joinery, ceiling heights and architectural details all give clues about what will feel appropriate. Door hardware can either support that character or quietly undermine it.

The right choice can make the whole home feel more considered and cohesive. The wrong choice can feel oddly out of place, even if the individual handle is beautiful.

What our Door Hardware Quiz helps you work through

Our Door Hardware Quiz is designed to help you identify the details that matter before you start ordering.

It asks about the kinds of doors you have, the number of doors involved, whether you have sliding or French doors, whether your doors are new or existing, and whether you would like help preparing a more detailed door-by-door hardware plan.

The aim is not to overwhelm you. It's to give you a clearer starting point.

Once you complete the quiz, I’ll email you some practical guidance and suggest the best next step for your project. That may be a simple product pathway, or a recommendation to consider my premium Door Hardware Concierge Service if your project would benefit from more detailed guidance.

The quiz only takes a couple of minutes, but it can help you avoid some of the most common door hardware mistakes.

When our Door Hardware Concierge Service is worth considering

Some projects are simple. If you're replacing one or two handles on relatively straightforward doors, you may only need light guidance. Other projects need much more care.

Our Door Hardware Concierge Service is designed for homeowners who want expert help choosing door hardware across a room, a particular area of the home, or the whole house. It's especially useful if you're renovating a period home, working with multiple door types, choosing hardware for new and existing doors, or trying to create a cohesive result across the entire home.

The service is not just about choosing handles. It can include guidance on door knobs or levers, locks, latches, hinges, privacy functions, sliding door hardware, French door hardware and related fittings. The goal is to help you choose hardware that looks beautiful, works properly, and suits your home's architecture.

It's particularly helpful if you want someone experienced to think through the details before you order, rather than discovering after the fact that something doesn't fit, function, look or feel right.

Nearly twenty years of helping people choose door hardware

I've been helping people choose door hardware for nearly twenty years.

As the owner of a specialist renovation store in Hobart for the last 18 years, and now The Renovation Shop in Canberra for the past two, I've worked with countless homeowners, builders and renovators at exactly this stage of a project.

Quite often, people come in thinking they simply need to choose some handles. Once we start talking through the doors, functions, lock requirements, hinges, existing holes, stile widths, finishes and period suitability, they realise there's much more involved than they expected.

That's very normal. Door hardware is detailed. It's technical. And in a period home, it's also architectural.

My role is to make those decisions clearer, more manageable and more considered, so you can order with confidence and end up with a result that feels right for your home.

Start with our quiz

If you're not sure which door hardware to choose, the best place to start is with our short quiz.

It will help you identify the details you need to consider and guide you towards the most appropriate next step, whether that's simple product guidance or a more detailed Door Hardware Concierge consultation.

Take our Door Hardware Quiz and choose the right door hardware for your home Start now