Room With A View

I'm a visual person. I like pictures, I keep a tape measure handy at my desk because, I even though I know what 3" looks like I can't really visualize it. I need the actual tape to give me that visual. I wish more hardware manufacturers would realize that there are people in the world who can't automatically envision something in their head when they're planning their designs.

With this post, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the hardware that we sell in a setting. Feast your eyes on these beauties.

This picture shows the brand Sietto on a cabinet. To be honest, I wouldn't pick out this pull based on the picture of the pull alone but shown in this kitchen it looks fantastic.



This is the Architectural Mailboxes Coronado mailbox, it's shown in the black with copper trim.



Atlas Homewares is one of the few manufacturers that produce some good pictures of their hardware in the appropriate settings. The handles shown are from their Euro Tech line. This handle....


could be this.....



Here's a Schlage push button electronic lock that's installed an a door to a wine cellar.



And, another Atlas Homewares collection. The Zanzibar bath hardware, I think this looks pretty good on the dark cabinets but it would look good on a light wood too.


My last picture is a towel warmer by Amba These styles tend to look modern when not shown in a setting, but this bathroom is kind of retro, and definitely sassy. These towel warmers can really blend into any style.

Hey March! What's New?

Bosetti Marella has come out with a really cute colors collection. This collection has knobs and pulls that are inlaid with colored enamel. You've got bold color choices like lemony yellow with grassy green and pastel pink with cotton candy pink. I think they're pretty cool. I see a dresser refinishing project in my near future.



Gatco has been doing a good job of keeping of with the styles and trends in today's hardware world. They have an incredibly popular collection of bathroom hardware called Latitude. They've recently rounded out the collection with mirrors and now lighting and faucets. Gatco does offer a number of collections in different styles that now have lighting and faucets as well.





Home organization is an area of the home that is often overlooked, but definitely needed. I have noticed more and more baskets, brackets, and ,hooks being ordered. With shows on TV like Mission Organization, people are bound to get motivated to do something about it. We offer a pretty extensive line of items to aid in organization, but for now I'll show you some of Amerock's new hooks. These come in 3 wood finish choices and 3 metal finish choices. You can get single hooks or a row of hooks, and they're giving the "over the door hook" a comeback as well.





The last thing I want to mention is Berenson's new Polished Nickel cabinet hardware collection. To be honest, there's no ground breaking design hiding here, but there are some nice timeless styles that are now offered in the Polished Nickel. Which, is still gaining in popularity. The bonus....since these are new, they're on sale right now!

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

A TV Lift That's Pretty Slick!

Lots of people have flat screen TVs now; some hang them on a wall, some have an entertainment until that the TV sits on, but a lot of people like to have their TV hidden in a cabinet. Wood Technologies makes the Whisper Ride TV lift that's very affordable and fits almost every flat screen on the market. This TV lift will accommodate a TV that is 200 pounds or less and up to 50 inches. I've personally never installed one of these, but having seen it in action a number of times, it doesn't look like such a difficult task.

The TV lift comes with what is essentially a track that runs vertically on the back of the cabinet. It has a cross bar that's shaped like an "H" that mounts to the back of the television. It comes with a power supply that gets plugged in, and when you press the button on either your remote or the rocker switch it moves up and down. Mounted to the mechanism is what the manufacturer calls a "lid lifter" so that when the TV comes up the lifter hits the wood and lifts it, rather than the TV hitting the wood directly. Below is a line drawing of the lift.



The great thing about these is that you can use an existing cabinet as long as your TV will fit inside, or you can have a cabinet custom made to fit this. I've even had a couple of people mount them upside down to drop a TV down from the ceiling. These really are pretty slick!

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

Hey February! What's New?

Apparently, February is the month for silver. This month we've added polished nickel hinges, stainless steel bath hardware, stainless flush pulls, and silver waste containers, practically everything has been silver!


Emtek has been really focused on the modern look with their hardware, I've talked about some of their leather items and they've got an entire line of levers and knobs that are geared toward modern interiors. They've come out with a modern entry called the Orion that I love! It goes great with their line of interior door hardware. Even though the picture is shown in Satin Nickel, it also comes in Flat Black (which has become popular), Oil Rubbed Bronze, and Polished Chrome.

Another new collection to our site is the Modern line of bath hardware by Emtek. These come in three styles to match the door hardware, all three styles are offered in stainless steel. You can chose from the Beveled rosette, the Disk rosette, or my personal favorite-the Square rosette.







We've carried storm door latches on our website and in our store for years, but Deltana makes a version that seems to be a little better quality than the previous brand that we've carried. We are in the process of switching over brands so right now we've only got three finishes offered online. We are able to order all of the major popular finishes though. Below is a picture of the Satin Nickel version, just look at the finish on this...it's a perfect example of what Satin Nickel should be.



Deltana also makes a line of cabinet hinges, I could post an entire blog about how amazing these hinges are. They are literally the nicest cabinet hinges I've ever seen. By far. I can get into the technicalities of why they're so great, such as the smooth opening and closing action. The finish is perfect, there are no pits or spots, nothing. Perhaps, I will save this for another post. I mention these hinges because, Deltana has just introduced a Polished Nickel finish in this line. The cabinet hinges come in various sizes ranging from 1-1/2" by 1-1/2" up to a 3" by 3".



The last item I'll talk about is the Hager ADA compliant flush pull. These aren't actually a new item, but we recently put them on our website. We do have a limited quantity on hand and once we sell out of those they'll be gone. Why even talk about it? Information folks! I get lots of inquiries about ADA compliant hardware because most of the time it's hard to find. A flush pull that is ADA is even harder to find. It's unique because in order for a piece of hardware to be compliant with ADA regulations it has to be easy to use for people with physical limitations. Imagine if you will, you don't have full function of your fingers. You're going to need a lever or flush pull or whatever to be easy to use without actually having to grip the item. Hardware like knobs just don't work, but a lever that has enough projection for you to fit your hand behind it and use more of your hand and/or wrist would work just fine. On a flush pull, the problem is that you can only have so much depth because most doors are 1-3/8" or 1-3/4", so how do you fit a hand in something that is shallower than that. The Hager flush pull is wide, really wide....five inches wide. You can fit your hand in and under part of the flush pull to slide the door open and closed.


That's it for February....until next time.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

The Historic Fleur De Lis!

The Fleur De Lis is a symbol that has been around for centuries and from what I can gather no one can pinpoint it's origins. I want to point out, that I am no scholar on symbols so the information that I have gathered is merely from some light internet reading.

Fleur De Lis or sometimes spelled Fleur De Lys is translated literally from french as "Lily Flower." It's origins are somewhat of a mystery. As early as the 700's the symbol shows up on coins, clothing, pottery and totems from all over Europe. The Fleur De Lis doesn't make an appearance as a symbol with any specific significance until about the 12th century. Again, the origins of the significance are varied from source to source. Here are a couple of theories as to why the Fleur De Lis is popular.

One source argues that the FDL is more likely to be an Iris rather than a Lily. A species of Iris called 'Iris Pseudacorus' or 'Yellow Flag' as it's known in English, or Lieschblume in German. This Iris is known to grow in marshes in Northern France. The interesting thing about the German name is Liesch was also spelled Lies and Leys in the Middle Ages. It is easy to imagine that, in Northern France the Lieschblume would have been called "fleur-de-lis."
It is said that either King Louis VI or VII became the first French Monarch to use the Fleur De Lis on his shield. Later, English kings used the symbol on their coat of arms to emphasize their claim to the throne of France. Another historical figure that the FDL is associated with is Joan of Arc. She carried a banner when she led troops to victory over the English showing God blessing the French royal emblem of the Fleur De Lis.

There are also legends about the origins of the FDL regarding Clovis, king of the Franks. One legend states that Clovis was on his way to fight the king of Aquitania Alaric and needed a place to cross a river. He searched in vain to find a ford to cross, when he and the soldiers startled a deer. The deer crossed along a ford that only it knew, the entire army followed. On the banks of the river, wild yellow Irises grew in abundance. Clovis picked one and put it on his helmet as a symbol of future victory.
Another Clovis legend is that a Lily was given to him at his baptism by the Virgin Mary. The Lily is said to have sprung from the tears shed by Eve as she left Eden. Over time, Christianity has adopted the FDL as a symbol that is associated with Mary that signifies purity. Today, in Christianity the Fluer De Lis is sometimes symbolized as the Holy Trinity.

The Fleur De Lis seems to be prevalent throughout North American in places that have been settled by the French. Places such as Quebec, St. Louis, Louisville, and New Orleans.
People may be attracted to the Fleur De Lis due to it's rich although somewhat confusing history. The one undisputed claim is that the FDL is directly linked with French Royalty.Places such as New Orleans are steeped in tradition and history, displaying the FDL is paying Homage to their ancestry. You see FDL as fence toppers (even Buckingham Palace has these) as decorative facades on buildings, and the New Orleans Saints have a Fleur De Lis as their team logo.


There are a number of manufacturers who make Fleur De Lis themed hardware. You can get door entry hardware, doorbells, bathroom accessories, and cabinet hardware with the FDL theme.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

Sassy Switchplates!

You use them every day, they come in a number of different sizes, and you don't even think about using them when you do......what are they? Outlets and switches, of course!

Here at The Hut we sell covers for these. The actual switch, or outlet, or receptacle can be purchased at a typical "big box" store. The covers are the fun part anyway. So, first of all what are these darn things called. I usually call them all "switchplates" as a general term, and some people call them wall plates.

I will break down the different configurations for you so you can familiarize yourself with the industry terms. We'll start with "Toggle" switches, these really don't go by any other name. These are the small rectangle cut out that you use on bedrooms for example.



Another type is called a "Rocker" or a "Decora" or a "GFI/GFCI" or a "Paddle" switch. They are called rockers because they are look like a large rectangle paddle that rocks up and down as opposed to flipping up and down. They are called GFI's because that is the technical name for the type of electrical component that goes in the rectangle cutout. As far as Decora, I'm not sure why some people call them that. I'm sure someone out there has an answer though.



And of course, there's the "Outlet" which is two circles that are used for plug-in items. This, very much like the toggle is pretty self explanatory.



All of these configurations come in singles, doubles, triples, and sometimes quads. The pictures below depict the some of the configurations in the different sizes.





You can also mix and match configurations, for example a common mixed configuration would be a double toggle and an outlet on one plate.



The next time you turn on a light or plug something in, maybe you'll have a fancy new plate. Not only do they come in plain styles, but you can get some fairly funky covers to add a little personality to your place.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

Towel Warmer Time!

This time of year seems to be a good time to buy towel warmers, it's probably due to the fact that the mornings are chilly. You step out of the shower and the tile is cold on your bare feet. Large quantities of hot chocolate and tea are consumed in an effort to keep ourselves warm as the weather turns cold. Towel warmers are a great gift idea as well as practical for everyday use. Most towel warmers use as much energy as a standard light bulb, they keep your towels toasty warm when you're ready to use them, they dry undergarments, and some even help keep a small room warm.

I will focus on three brands that we carry; Amba, Warmrails, and Wesaunard. The first brand I'll talk about is Warmrails.

Warmrails is what I would call an economy towel warmer. They offer a good product for a good price. The average price for a Warmrails unit is around $160. Warmrails only offers electric units, some of them softwired (meaning they plug into a wall) and some of them are hardwired (they are wired directly into your electrical system.) Warmrails has a limited selection of styles and color choices and they are manufactured in China.

Wesaunard is what I would call the deluxe towel warmer. They are a custom made brand, when you order from them almost every item is hand made in the UK. They are made from solid brass and come come in about six color choices.

Wesaunard also offers a big selection of size and style choices, as well as having the option to either electric hardware the units or getting a hydronic model. Hydronic means that the unit is hooked up to your radiant heating and water flows through it to heat it up and keep it warm.

The last brand that I'll talk about is Amba. Amba is the middle of the road priced brand. You get a great quality for a reasonable price.

Amba tends to carry more modern styled warmers in polished & brushed stainless, as well as oil rubbed bronze & white. Amba's average price is about $500, but you get a number a style and size options. Amba products are made out of stainless steel in Italy, South Africa, and some parts from the US.

The important things to consider when purchasing a towel warmer are:
1. Size-you have to keep in mind the space you have and what you can fit.
2. Utilization-what will you be using your towel warmer for. Will you be using your warmer for keeping towels warm, drying clothes, or keeping a space warm.
3. Material and color choices-Solid Brass & Stainless Steel are better conductors of heat so you're more likely to get a more even heated surface with something made out of these materials. Unfortunately, with a material like Stainless Steel your finish choices are very limited.
4. Price-the bottom line is what can you afford. While there is a great variance in price from brand to brand, the basic functions of a towel warmer are all basically the same. In order for a towel warmer to be UL listed they all have to heat to a specific temperature and have the same core features.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”