Handsome Hardware
It’s the little touches that make the biggest impact in our homes. Items as elementary as door knobs and handles can turn ordinary rooms into architectural superstars.
In a world of mass-produced, all-of-one-kind items, there are still a number of hardware companies that are making their mark with what amounts to architectural artworks.
Here are some that have been forging ahead for decades.
NANZ & Company
Established in New York in 1989, NANZ & Company not only designs and fabricates handles, hinges, locks, and plumbing fittings, but it also specifies and organizes these exclusive products.
“Our catalog ranges from antique reproductions to innovative new designs that honor historic proportions,” says Steve Nanz, who co-founded the company with Carl Sorenson.
The company’s initial products were based on cast-bronze hardware fabricated by iconic American makers in Connecticut such as Yale, Norwalk, Corbin Russwin, and Sargent that was no longer in production since the advent of World War II.
“Our engineers created new and improved versions of these products to complete restoration projects where not enough of the original handles were in existence,” says Sorenson. “While our original efforts were focused on creating door knobs and lever handles, we soon began producing the finest hinges, and now we are making and patenting some of the most advanced and highly engineered locks and latches available.”
The company’s products are sold around the world and through showrooms in London, Boston, Los Angeles, and Miami.
In addition to Sorenson and Nanz, the family-owned company’s staff members include Carl’s daughter, Isabel Sorenson.
Nostalgic Warehouse
A go-to resource for solid hot-forged brass hardware, Nostalgic Warehouse can mix and match any knob or lever with any escutcheon in a variety of finishes and offers over 3,900 combinations.
“Every order we fulfill is custom-built, and our designs are inspired by timeless architectural styles from neoclassical Greco-Roman to Art Deco,” says General Manager Sean Fierst. “Whether you’re a purist restoring a period home or simply drawn to vintage charm, our hardware adds a touch of history.”
The family-founded business, which is based in Denver, started as a boutique antiques shop in the 1980s that specialized in novelty hardware. Today, it creates vintage-style hardware for restoration experts, designers, architects, builders, and even Hollywood set decorators.
“There’s something deeply personal about making a space feel like home,” Fierst says. “Whether you’re restoring a historic property, flipping a house, or just adding those perfect finishing touches, our hardware helps bring a vision to life.”
Nostalgic Warehouse is expanding its collections, exploring new ways to blend classic design with modern functionality.
P.E. Guerin
One of the country’s oldest hardware manufacturers, P.E. Guerin, established in 1857, has a 100,000-piece library of patterns.
“We have both a stock line and a made-to-order line that covers every design period from 18th-century French and English through Art Deco and Modern,” says Martin Grubman, company vice president. “We make everything by hand, and our New York City factory is the only sand-casting foundry remaining in Manhattan.”
The fourth-generation family-owned business, which has 55 employees, has supplied hardware for numerous historic buildings, including the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina and Fair Lane, the estate of Clara and Henry Ford in Detroit.
“We have continued the same product line since 1857,” Grubman says. “We design in each era through the present and are continually developing new product.”
Rocky Mountain Hardware
For more than 30 years, Rocky Mountain Hardware has been designing and producing handmade architectural hardware for residential and commercial projects.
The family-owned and -operated company, based in Idaho, has a standard line that is augmented with thousands of one-off patterns and molds and parts that are made for residential, hospitality, and commercial projects, and historical restorations. Its hardware is distributed via more than 350 vendors worldwide.
Rocky Mountain Hardware’s production process is nearly 100 percent sustainable: The hardware is made of recycled raw materials and is cast in an eco-friendly factory.
President Christian Nickum says that “the ability to bring ideas to life, whether it is a vision from an architect, designer, or from a member of our internal team,” is the company’s driving passion.
SABaxter
A designer and manufacturer of architectural hardware covering virtually all time periods, SABaxter also restores and replicates historic pieces.
The company, based in Port Jervis, New York, has done a number of projects, including the restoration and replication of the century-old hardware at the New York Public Library.
“We are experts in investment casting and finishing, processes that allow us to create the most complex shapes and details,” says CEO Scott Baxter.
Baxter, who has an interest in bronze sculpture and architecture, founded the company 20 years ago when he designed and manufactured hardware for his own home, a 30-room equestrian estate.
Wilmette Hardware
Known for the design, fabrication, and hand finishing of bespoke architectural hardware, Wilmette Hardware has a comprehensive collection of historic salvage pieces and historic hardware catalogs.
The family-owned company, based in Illinois, has been in the metal restoration and silversmithing business since 1937.
“We make the bespoke of the bespoke,” says President Gregory Bettenhausen. “What distinguishes us from our competition is our drive to design hardware for a specific home and client versus selecting something from a catalog. We finish every piece of hardware on a project to match, no matter how insignificant.”