New Orchid Handle

The Orchid collection of cabinet and vanity pulls has a new member, the hanging orchid door pull. The piece is a hybrid orchid and loosely based on the large full leaves of the lepantes orchid and the lush flowers of the cymbidium family. Many cymbidium members have large protruding labellum (lip) balanced by full side and top sepals. While all orchids are arguably beautiful the  cymbidium’s balance and fullness give it an undeniable elegance and the sturdy leaves of the lepantes when cast in bronze or stainless steel make for a perfect flower mount as well as back-plate. The back-plate curves outwards to support the flowers and the tapered and flat ends each have a threaded post for easy screwing from the back of the door. The posts have a 15” center to center and the overall length is 16”. We chose to finish the supporting leaf in dark antique oil and to make the flowers and center leaf ridge a lighter finish and have now created a hybrid finish code DLA to describe this appearance.

Other members of this collection were inspired by the Venus Slipper and Moth orchid  with sizes ranging from small 2'“W orchid knobs to 8”W orchid stem pulls. The image below shows the larger pieces in a brushed bronze with light antique finish with the small knob in a brushed nickel finish.

The small knob and leaf from the hanging orchid can be used to create a custom spray for vanities as wide 6’.

Roller Latches for Stunning Door Handles

A tubular latch is used to hold a door or double door closed. The latch has a tongue that is thrown into the door strike when the lever is depressed, or knob is turned. A roller latch performs a similar function but does not require a lever or knob to be activated which is an attractive option where you have stunning door pulls and do not want anything to detract from their beauty.

Roller latches come in a variety of configurations some perform a simple closing function and Imperial Lock makes a series that also will lock a door. Whatever the configuration they share a simple roller that is a metal ball which projects into a recessed hole in the strike when the ball is sprung. Well-designed rollers are adjustable, and you can decide how far you want the roller to project out from the edge of the door using a long projection to create a tighter closing door that will require more force to open.

Roller latches vary as to how difficult they are to install. To fit a mortise roller latch you will need to cut a substantial rectangular area into the door to house the mortise box which is a job best left to a skilled carpenter or locksmith. In the photos shown here we installed a much simpler roller latch for our bedroom double doors so that our Hedgerow tree pulls could be shown in their full glory. The roller latch only required a shallow small rectangular area for the face plate which was done using a router and a smaller round hole for the roller which was easy to drill out.