It takes less than 1/10 of a second for someone to make up his or her mind about you from a single glance at your face. What you do or show later has little effect.
The same is true when someone first views your home. The first glance, the first impression, will be what shapes how your home is perceived. And in most cases, that first impression will be your front door. So, the question is, what first impression is your home giving? What impression do you want it to give?
Here’s some ideal matches between door accessory finishes and how you want people to shape first impressions of your home.
Brass Finish
If you’re going for the look of a home that is classically inspired, you can’t go wrong with an antique brass doorknob, door lever, or handle set. Antique brass resembles natural brass as a result of its golden and brown tones. Although it hails from the Victorian era in the 1800s, it features a glossy finish that makes it modern looking.
Antique brass is ideal if your home’s exterior features exposed wood or stacked stone. This type of finish is an excellent choice if you like brass but want to avoid the first impression many people get when they spot bright brass. Bright brass was popular in 1990s homes and in other older, colonial houses. However, it can come off as cheap and non-exclusive since they’re widely available today.
Choose an antique brass finish if you want your home to take on the charming look of a craftsman home.
Bronze Finish
If your goal is for your guests to feel as though they are stepping into the lap of luxury when they visit your home, door accessories with a bronze finish are a smart choice. A bronze door knob works particularly well with handmade, ornate furnishings.
Bronze pairs well with natural tones - for instance wood or paint hues like green, yellow, and brown. The dark brown tones found in a bronze door lever can even achieve a Tuscan or Mediterranean setting look.
Iron Black Finish
A black handle set on your front door can easily give your home an incredibly chic look. That’s because iron black is ultra-fashionable today, catering to the modern look that draws inspiration from Colonial Era blacksmiths’ handmade fixtures, the Bauhaus movement, and wrought iron fences.
What makes iron black such a unique finish option is that it effectively bridges the traditional and modern style worlds.
Iron black is ideal if your home features gray tones, large windows, and the types of geometric forms found in most modern residences.
Rustic Pewter Finish
This is an especially popular finish to use on an outside door, like your front door. Why? Because rustic pewter has a way of adding a powerfully distinctive touch to just about any door.
With a rustic pewter door lever, you can make sure that your front door fits the rest of your home’s decor. Rustic pewter door knobs feature a well-weathered look that can easily make your front door look more elegant.
Rustic pewter is great for accenting a plain door—especially a wooden one—to add that craftsman’s flair that many homeowners have come to love.
Chrome Finish
Like many others, may see chrome as an old-school accessory finish that may give your visitors a negative first impression. After all, bright, polished chrome gets its inspiration from the Roaring Twenties’ jazzy style and the Art Deco movement, as well as the 1930s-1940s minimalist approach.
However, your door accessories’ chrome finish doesn’t have to be shiny and compete with other bright colors. Instead, you can choose a satin chrome finish, for example. This type of finish, which is also linked to the Bauhaus movement, offers a clean, contemporary feel and look. What makes this finish stand out on the front of a modern home is its ability to avoid standing out too much; instead, it meshes well with the majority of styles.
Nickel Finish
Avoid mixing chrome and nickel. While chrome can be described as a cool silver hue, nickel is a warm one. If you embrace an urban feel at your home, you may simply want to go with distressed nickel, whose rustic vibe may remind you and your guests of the well-known Old World.
Distressed nickel offers a unique look that is achieved via tumbling, so no two distressed nickel pieces are the same. This type is great for home facades featuring exposed brick, reclaimed wood or concrete.
Door Accessories for a Number of Home Styles
Enhancing your front door’s appearance with the right accessories can go a long way boosting your curb appeal overall. As a result, you can feel prouder of the place you call home, and if you decide to sell your home in the future, you can expect a better return on your investment.
A wide range of accessory options are on the market today, thus increasing your chances of finding the right accessory for your front door the first time. Start looking for the perfect door design accessories today—accessories that will give your visitors a top-notch first impression every time.
About the Author:
Katie Tejada is a writer, editor, and former HR professional. She enjoys writing about events, travel, decorating trends, and innovations for the home, but also covers developments in HR, business communication, recruiting, and CRM solutions.
