The Psychology of Door and Cabinet Handles

Psychology of Door and Cabinet

Door hardware is often one of the last things we think about when building or renovating. It’s often not adequately allowed for in the budget and when it is, it sometimes ends up being at the bottom of the list in terms of allowances.

When left to builders, they will often recommend ‘cheap’ as over against form and function and often push consumers to the product in their pre-start up the showroom. Or, to a product which returns them a rebate from the supplier.

In addition, and with the greatest respect, sometimes even architects and designers can be woefully uneducated on the subject and will often recommend;

Hardware that isn’t of the same quality as the building

Hardware that doesn’t match the building in terms of style or finish

A product that they know and have always specified

A cheap product to stay within the budget

Cabinet handles that don’t match the door hardware in terms of style and finish

Door Handle Selection

The door handle, like the front entrance, is the first thing seen from the street and first impressions count. Just as you form a judgment of someone within seconds of meeting them, so it is with the front of a house.

Your opinion of the house and those who reside within is established either as a positive or negative thought. Just as an unkempt appearance in a person may lead, rightly or wrongly, to a negative first impression and conclusion, so it is with our houses.

In addition, over the course of its life, a handle is touched up to a million times. More than any other item in the house. It should, therefore, look good, feel good, work as intended and adorn the house as a final touch of artistry and grandeur. Shouldn’t it?

Psychology with Handles

Psychology is the scientific study of how people behave, think and feel. It may seem strange that psychology could apply to an item as common as the door handle.

However, it is precisely because of the door handle’s commonality that it is so. Like our phones, computers and cars and many often used items, the door or cabinet handles in our lives get touched just as much or more.

Therefore it is the subconscious effect they have rather than the conscious awareness of them that affects us. That is why it is important to understand how this works.

There are several evidenced based reasons why this is so. The starting point is obviously Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow posited that humans have basic needs by which they live and either just survive or indeed thrive.