A front door is something we all have in common. And while the appearance of our entry door hardware varies from building to building, they all have parts in common. Let's break it down and review the proper terminology and purpose of this very necessary hardware.
Back plate or to some, escutcheon: The plate to which a door handle, be it a lever or knob, is attached, making it possible to open the door. The back plate was often referred to in England and Europe as an escutcheon plate which tends to imply that it is more decorative. The back plate not only is the mounting for the handle but it also covers up the "guts" of the lock in the door be it a tubular lock or mortise lock.
At Martin Pierce our back plates are extremely decorative and very stylized. They are designed to continue the artistic style of the handles. With our lizard handles shown in the photo we designed a back plate to look like the bark of a tree; our Willow knob uses a circular back plate or rose in the form of overlapping willow leaves; the Hedgerow handle uses a back plate that has fretted sections at the top and bottom that are stylized tree branches.
Our entire collection of custom architectural hardware for both entry and interior doors can be seen at www.martinpierce.com.