Watch Your Back Plates

Behind every great doorknob is a great back plate.  Back plates are just as important as the knobs themselves, and can be just as highly designed, so if you are planning to replace your knobs you should also consider replacing the back plates. 

Why not purchase your new hardware in complete sets so that everything matches?

After all, you don’t want to have a brass doorknob situated within a copper back plate. Also, if you’re looking for an ornate Gothic-inspired door knob, it's counterpart should be the same to keep the look completely eye-catching. If you’re keeping your hardware sleek and modern then make sure that the back plate doesn’t look too old or lavish.  Thinking about these small details may seem significant, but having a stellar doorknob with an equally exquisite plate could be the secret key to making your door entrance pop.   

And while I recommend keeping the metals and designs of your doorknobs and back plates consistent with one another, perhaps you are the more adventurous type with an eye for aesthetics and a desire to make a look that’s all your own.  Go ahead and explore mixing and matching. Perhaps a highly sculptural polished chrome doorknob might sit nicely on a very basic back plate in the same finish.  Or maybe you’re looking for something regal and eccentric, and want to pair a muted dark nickel knob with an elaborately decorated and bold back plate in polished brass?

Whatever it is you are looking for when replacing your hardware, what is important to note how many options there are available for any style and in any color.  In addition, it is important not to just think about the small picture in terms of the doorknobs—but also to think about the options and varieties in the other areas of a hardware set.  Just because your installing a new back plate, does not mean it has to fade unnoticed to the background.