Tell us about how Designer Doorware started?                          

I was introduced to door hardware locks and locking systems at a very early age through my father’s hardware importing and distribution business during the late 1970s and spent many nights working through all the business aspects with him. Originally, we imported a lot of goods and modified them to meet Australia’s very stringent standards.

In the 1980s I undertook a locksmithing apprenticeship, practicing for 10 years, which gave me a deeper understanding of the industry as a whole. All my experience and industry knowledge came together in 1997 when I established Designer Doorware. Our mixture of European imports and Australian designs proved popular and enabled us to quickly grow distribution networks across Australia and New Zealand.

Today, Designer Doorware is the premium provider of architectural hardware to pre-eminent residential design projects in Australia and the United States. Our custom design and manufacturing facility produce great contemporary products, helping our clients express their individuality where quality and contemporary design is paramount.

How has the range of Designer Doorware products transformed over the years to what they are today?

Besides a more vertically integrated model with a focus on our own designs and manufacturing, Designer Doorware’s products have developed into a clear series of families and collections. Product families are our way of grouping products based on geometry and form - whereas collections explore new material and texture. Whilst we still create many traditional styles of door hardware, we are now capable to explore more experimental ideas to achieve standout designs and finishes.

Can you tell us a bit more about the concrete, stone, and timber handles?

The concrete Bullet+Stone Collection merges the rough and cold aesthetic of reinforced concrete with various sumptuous and eye-catching metal finishes. The tactile experience allows users to experience both finishes simultaneously, amplifying and bringing to light the contrast between them.

Our Monte Collection is a timber hardware collection that features two stunning species of timber -American White Oak and American Walnut. Timber is unique as a material, as it evokes a soothing sense of warmth and comfort, both visually and physically. It is a material that when paired with other timber finishes, creates a closer connection to our interiors and the world around us. This sense of warmth, comfort, and connection is what has inspired the Monte Timber Collection.

What makes these products one-of-a-kind?

They are unique, high quality, hand-finished, Australian made and can be totally bespoke to people’s needs. Our Bullet+Stone Collection is the first architectural hardware product that incorporates both concrete and metal finishes simultaneously. We believe that it is our focus on tactility, design, and commitment to craftsmanship that separates our hardware.

How do the Designer Doorware products enhance the appeal of someone's space?

Designer Doorware products are the finishing touch on a beautiful home. They are an ideal accent to interiors. Our products can stand out for high impact or seamlessly be incorporated into any design and can change the feeling of the space through unique combinations, surfaces, and finishes. They are the first thing you touch when you enter your home and the last thing you touch when you leave.

Designer Doorware is one of the leading providers to the architectural design community – what makes the quality and standard of products appeal to this community?

The A&D community loves Designer Doorware because of the care we put into our products and the attention to detail that goes into designing and crafting them. All of our architectural hardware is Australian designed and manufactured at our premises – so we know exactly what goes in and what goes out.

Our consistent quality checks throughout the entire manufacturing process ensure that our products are always of the highest quality and standard.

How do you source the best and most interesting timbers, concrete and stone in Australia? 

We collaborate closely with local artisans in Melbourne, who refine and produce our concrete parts to achieve our ideal result. Each and every concrete piece is unique, and hand-finished to preserve the raw, rough look and feel that we strive to create.

We believe that seeking out and utilising feedback is absolutely critical to design. We work very closely with our customers, as well as architects and interior designers to understand the benefits and drawbacks of our designs, whilst always drawing on the technical and practical skills of our in-house fitters and turners.

What’s your advice for someone if they’re looking to include new handles in their home?

There are no real rules, but we’d recommend matching the form and finish of your door hardware to other features of the interior. This will give the space a sense of thoughtfulness and consistency.

Above all else - choose what you really love.

You can explore more of Designer Doorware's products on their website.

designerdoorware.com.au