The design shift from cookie-cutter to custom doesn’t have to be a grand gesture or renovation. Oftentimes, it’s simply in the details: a classic bullion fringe trimming an armchair; an embroidered border edging a pair of solid curtains; a thoughtful collection of knobs and pulls to add that finishing touch to cabinetry.
Fortunately, you don’t have to look far to find a haute hardware source for your next project: The source sheets of AD’s home tours are the who’s who of the design world—for fixtures, furniture, and beyond. We combed through recent tours in search of the stylish architectural hardware sources designers are speccing right now. Read on for the standout finds—some of them newcomers to the scene, others tried-and-true—and see the designer projects that so beautifully put them to use.
Classic Brass
High-end solid brass hardware has been, fittingly, the calling card at Classic Brass since its founding in 1996. Each piece is finished to order, giving designers the choice of 40-plus metal finishes—some richly antiqued, others pristinely polished. In the primary bath of a San Francisco home, AD PRO Directory designer Lauren Nelson opted for classic bulb knobs from the Jamestown, New York–based manufacturer.
Armac Martin
Armac Martin has been making premium brass hardware since 1929, making the English brand a time-honored option. Though the brand celebrates its legacy—with everything designed, made, and hand-finished at its Birmingham factory—its sights are on the future, making promises to reduce its emissions by 50% by 2025. The manufacturer now sells its brass in matte black and white finishes, though the hardware used in the kitchen and pantry of this Studio McGee–designed project proves you can’t go wrong with the classics.
Mi & Gei
Mi & Gei set out to be more than just hardware. Tactile stimulation drives the brand’s fabrication process, leading to an inventory of sensorially riveting knobs, pulls, brackets, rails, and more. The product assortment is crafted out of recyclable brass alloy, with a majority-copper composition that offers antibacterial and rust-resistant properties. Whether used as a ‘wow’ piece or woven into a bold space—as with this children’s bathroom designed by Jennifer Bunsa—Mi & Gei aims to bring a little humanity to the human touch.
Schaub & Company
When Bob and Marcia Schaub founded their eponymous brand in 1998, the mission was clear: Create cabinet hardware that delivered on service, quality, and design chops. Since then, Schaub & Company has reimagined the standard knobs and pulls with detailed carvings, textured finishes, and inlay materials. But we’re privy to their simpler styles, too, like the gilded set designer Paloma Contreras specced for the kitchen in her Houston home.
Liz’s Antique Hardware
Don’t let its name fool you: Though Liz’s Antique Hardware sells plenty of vintage options—such as the pulls in this Mike Moser–designed primary bathroom—the LA retailer also has plenty of contemporary hardware to choose from. (Prices vary from $2 for a knob made in Italy to triple-digit wares, providing something for a range of budgets too.) The hardware resource, which was founded in 1979, also has a great inventory of hooks, door stoppers, and lighting, all available online or in its La Brea showroom.
E.R. Butler & Co.
E.R. Butler & Co. sells furnishings and light fixtures, but it’s the storied manufacturer’s brass and crystal hardware that remain the cornerstone of its offerings. Celebrate the New England–bred metalworker’s legacy (its founding dates back to the 1960s, with a lineage of tradesmen that extends even farther) with its traditional Historical collections. Or for something a little more current—like the contemporary pulls designer Clive Lonstein added in this Seattle kitchen—peruse the company’s designer collaborations with Chris Lehrecke, Ted Muehling, and more.
Nanz
Headquartered in a whopping 50,000-square-foot factory in Long Island, Nanz has a global presence with outposts in Los Angeles, Miami, and London. And with over 3,000 products to choose from—not including Nanz’s custom works—the mix of quality and craftsmanship can deftly elevate any space. Case in point: the guest bathroom of this French Normandy–style home designed by Mark D. Sikes.
Modern Matter
Originally a jewelry atelier, Modern Matter’s offerings have expanded into creative cabinetry hardware—bijoux for your kitchen and bath, if you will. Though the brand employs traditional materials, it also experiments with a more complex palette, including leather, rattan, and wood. Modern Matter has also partnered with a handful of interior designers—AD100 talents Mark D. Sikes, Young Huh, Michelle Nussbaumer, and Pierce & Ward among them—to bring some industry caché to its offering. Fittingly, designer Louisa Pierce opted for selects from her old-world-inspired hardware collection in her own Birmingham kitchen.
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