Mid Century Modern

Mid Century Modern is probably my favorite design. I love the style of houses, furniture, and decor. It's sleek, stylish, functional, and often reflects nature. Mid Century Modern is simple and bold at the same time. I'm sure most people have at least heard of Mid Century Modern, but some may not be familiar with the overall aesthetic. If you've ever seen the Disney/Pixar movie "The Incredibles" you've seen an almost perfect depiction of Mid Century Modern. Have a look at some screen shots from the movie, they've nailed the look. If you haven't seen the movie, I strongly recommend watching it. Not only is a feast for the eyes for Mid Century Modern fans, it's a great story.








Good stuff huh? When I first saw this movie, I decided I wanted a house just like this. For some, you've probably grown up or lived in a house similar to this because that was the current style. So, maybe Mid Century Modern isn't such a big deal to you. I for one, am excited about it's reemergence.

Due to the rise in popularity, a number of our manufacturers have come out with items that reflect this era. Emtek is one brand that has introduced an entire collection called "Mid Century Modern."



They've also got some pretty cool door levers and knobs that fit the Mid Century Modern bill. Below is the Bern knob:

Or how about the Hermes lever:


Really, you should go check out the rest of the Emtek Mid Century Modern cabinet hardware collection. There are some real gems that are not shown in the picture above.

Speaking of gems, look at the design on these house numbers. Both Atlas Homewares and House Art make some incredible house numbers but the design on these two are again, the epitome of Mid Century Modern.







I've shared my favorite design/style. How about you?

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

Can I Have A Standard Car Please?

A standard car, what's that? There's no such thing as a standard car, they're all different.
Welcome to hardware 101. The term standard should almost be obsolete in the hardware world because there are very few things that are standard in the industry.

I'm going to discuss door hardware and the options that are available so when you're ready to order you'll be armed with information. On a door there are typically hinges and a lock of some sort. "How many options could there be?" you say, on door hinges for a typical home you have to choose which finish you want, what size you want, and what type of corner you need.

Finishes are pretty easy to figure out, but for the corners you have 3 choices. The self explanatory choice would be square corner, the second choice is a 1/4in. radius, and the last choice is a 5/8in. radius. Here is a drawing that depicts all three options.

Also, a quick easy way to determine your radius is to hold up a dime and a quarter to the corner and see which one fits the best.

On the door locks, it gets a little more complicated. You have to choose which function you need. The different functions for interior doors are Privacy (there is a push button on the inside of the door that allows you to lock it,) Passage (the knob or lever turns but does not lock,) and a Dummy (the knob or lever does not move at all, and it gets screwed onto the face of the door.) Not only do you have to choose the function, but on the locks that move you have to choose the backset. A backset is the measurement of the distance from the edge of your door to the center of the bore hole that your knob or lever goes into. The most common backsets in the US are either 2-3/8in. or 2-3/4in. Here is a diagram to show you where to measure.

For exterior doors the functions are a Keyed knob or lever (there is a key built into the knob or lever and a push/turn button on the inside,) a Single Cylinder Deadbolt (a key on the outside and a turn knob in the inside,) and a Double Cylinder Deadbolt (a key on both the outside and the inside.)

Another option that you will need to know would be the door handing, the easiest way to determine handing is to stand on the outside of the door and look at the hinges. The key is to always be on the outside, if the hinges are on the Right you would order a right hand lock and if the hinges are on the Left you would order a left hand lock. This honestly is the easiest way to figure it out. Many people use different methods, and tell you that the direction the door swings matters but I think it only makes it more complicated.

Last would be door thickness. A "standard" door- scratch that, a "typical" residential door is either 1-3/8in. or 1-3/4in. thick. All residential locks come equipped to fit either of those sizes. Occasionally, you'll have an entry door that will be thicker and some manufacturers make a thick door kit to accommodate those.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”