Choosing Modern Black Door Knobs for Our Home


The renovation at our #FinnFixerUpper is FINALLY coming to a close and I realized that I haven’t shared all of the details with you guys just yet. One area I’ve glossed over? Our doors and door knobs! The doors have been in since the end of July, but the black door knobs were just added a couple of weeks ago and holy smokes I’m in l-o-v-e.

But before we get to the scoop on everything, let’s rewind to the status of the doors and knobs before…

Closet Doors & Door Knobs – Before

Guest bedroom before

All of the doors throughout the home were hollow core and an orangey-oak color. They were in rough shape and I knew that replacing them would instantly upgrade the entire home.

The closet doors were all bi-fold doors, which aren’t my favorite. I feel like bifold doors are constantly breaking and getting off track and I much prefer French doors. Plus, there is just something about swinging open French doors that makes me feel extra fancy!Master Bedroom Closet Before

The doors to each room were also that orangey color, hollow, and with dated door knobs. Hollow doors are so light and flimsy and I knew they had to go!

Our New Doors

Our new matte black door knobs

For doors, I went with 3-panel flat shaker doors. These were an upgrade (about $190 a piece, and boy did we need a lot of them!), but they make the entire home look much more high-end. They come with hinges and I went with black for those throughout the rest of the home.

Finding the perfect black door knobs

It was hard for me to choose the exact door style I wanted, but I’m really happy I ended up going with these. New doors in the master bedroom

My contractor ordered them through a local door company here in Chicago, so I don’t have the exact link, but if you look locally for “3-panel flat shaker style”, similar ones should pop up!

Door Knob VarietyChoosing black door knobs

I’ve never ordered door hardware before, so it was a bit of a learning curve to figure out which knobs I needed to order. Before I even got to color or style, I needed to nail down the exact types of door knobs we would need. After some research, here is what I learned about doors and choosing door knobs.

  • Privacy Knob: These are doors that you want to lock. Privacy door knobs are used mostly for bedrooms and bathrooms.
  • Passage: These are doors that need a knob on both sides, but they don’t lock. I got these for the front closet, basement door, laundry room, door, etc.
  • Dummy: These don’t have a mechanical latch system and are non-turning. Instead, they are just placed on the outside of the door to pull. We put these on all of our French closet doors.

I walked around the entire house, making a big list of knobs that I needed to order, and then looked online to find the perfect ones to match our style. There are a variety of finishes and styles to choose from, so it took a bit to narrow it down. I considered going with a brass finish but ultimately landed on black for durability and long term style.

Our New Black Door Knobs

Finding the perfect black door knobs

I ended up going with Schlage knobs…specifically the Bowery Knob with Greyson Trim (privacy, passage, dummy) in a matte black finish.

Since the doors have a lot of straight lines, I liked the idea of doing both a round knob and a round trim plate. These also have a gorgeous matte black color and I figure that will be a classic look for decades to come! I also wanted a true matte black (not oil-rubbed bronze) and these fixtures were perfect.

When you buy door knobs, they come in a set of two…one for each side of the door. The adjustable latch is also included. You can see that the privacy door knob sets on our bedroom doors have a pin key on the outside if you accidentally get locked from the outside of the room. Push button black door knob

On the other side, it’s a push-button to lock the door.Passage door knob

Here’s a look at the passage door knob set. It has a flat front on it with no pin.

Here’s a better look at the dummy door knobs. You can see they’re just on the outside of the door and there isn’t a handle on the inside.

Dummy door knobs on closets

We put these on all of our closet doors in the bedrooms and hallway.

Don’t Forget!Don't forget a door stop!

One item that is easy to forget is a doorstop. The door knobs set doesn’t come with one and you have to buy them separately. I ended up getting these matte black ones that match the door knobs perfectly. They’re easy to screw right into the baseboards and will prevent some serious damage to your walls.

Before & After

Old doors in office
New doors in the office

Paint Color: “Ballet White”Guest bedroom before

New doors and black door knobs

Paint Color: “Tarrytown Green”; Ceiling Fan

Master Bedroom Closet Before
Master bedroom with new doors and black door knobs

Paint Color: “Ballet White”; Ceiling Fan

I’m so happy that we decided to upgrade the doors and knobs throughout our entire house. New doors and hardware

It’s crazy what a big difference the black doorknobs make. Our house feels new, contemporary, and more high-end thanks to these changes. I’m telling you, don’t forget your home’s door hardware when designing your space.

Finding new black matte door knobs

While these are the changes to the interior door knobs, I’m also upgrading our exterior door knobs and door levers. You can read more about our smart front door right here. It’s a super easy installation, I promise!

More Door Posts To Check Out!

Casey


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.