06 / Journal

Hold a piece of solid brass or solid marble hardware and you feel it immediately, in the weight. That weight is the tell: it's what separates a piece built from real material from one dressed up to look like it, and it's exactly why it's worth paying more for. The material itself is the other tell: solid brass and solid marble can't be faked with a thin plating or a moulded substitute, so knowing what a piece is made of tells you almost everything about how well it will hold up.

Hardware is the part of a joinery project people touch: the handle, the knob, the lever you reach for every day without thinking about it. And yet it's often the last line item considered and the first one trimmed when a budget tightens. We'd argue that's backwards. If any detail in a build deserves the spend, it's the one your hand meets first.

The Material Does the Work

Solid brass and solid marble carry their beauty in the material itself, not in a coating applied over something cheaper, and that's exactly why they behave so differently over time. Solid, unlacquered brass develops a patina the longer it's used: it starts one tone, then mellows into something deeper and warmer, a visible sign of a home being lived in. The Almond Knob in oil rubbed bronze is a good example: it's already given a head start on that ageing process, so the character starts building from day one.

If you'd rather the finish stayed exactly as it is on day one, our lacquered brass is the same solid brass sealed with a clear lacquer, preserving the tone and protecting it from natural tarnishing rather than letting it develop. The same solid-brass quality also sits underneath our other finishes, including nickel, aged brass, and tumbled nickel, so the material integrity isn't something you have to choose between, it's there whichever finish suits your space.

Solid marble works differently but makes the same point. Every slab is cut from stone with its own veining, so no two pieces are ever quite identical, a look no moulded or printed finish can fake. The Arc Marble handle in carrara carries this beautifully, cool and substantial in the hand, with veining that makes each handle genuinely one-of-a-kind. Spend on materials like these and the hardware still looks right in ten years. It's a piece for the long term, not one you'll be replacing the moment a scratch or a discoloured patch starts to show.

Cheap Hardware Has a Hidden Second Cost

Budget hardware has a cost that doesn't show up on the invoice: it has to be bought twice. Thin plating wears through to base metal within a couple of years of daily use, cheap fixings work loose, and what looked like a saving at checkout turns into another trip to source replacements, and another round of drilling into cabinetry that was only ever meant to be fitted once.

Quality hardware is weighted and precision-milled to be fitted once and left alone. This matters most on the pieces that take the heaviest daily use, appliance pulls being the clearest case. The Sphere Appliance Pull in brass is built with exactly this kind of daily-use durability in mind, engineered with high-quality fixings that hold firm under the hundreds of open-and-close cycles a fridge or dishwasher door handle absorbs every week.

The Detail Becomes the Jewellery of the Home

Well-designed hardware doesn't just function, it becomes the statement of the cabinetry around it, and it can elevate even a modest joinery budget into something that reads as considered and intentional.

Sculptural forms do this best. The Duet Pull in brass and the Forma Pull in viola marble both work this way: each is distinctive enough to stand as its own small art piece within a room, not just a functional afterthought bolted onto the end of a cabinet run.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is solid brass really worth it over plated brass?

Yes, if you want the hardware to still look considered in a decade. Plating is a thin surface layer that wears through to reveal the base metal underneath; solid brass simply develops patina as it ages, which reads as character rather than damage.

Does solid marble hardware need special care?

Very little. Wipe with a soft, dry cloth and avoid acidic or abrasive cleaners, which can dull the stone's natural finish. Beyond that, it's a low-maintenance material that's built to last.

Will investment hardware really outlast a renovation cycle?

That's the point of it. A well-made solid brass or marble handle, properly fitted, will comfortably outlast the kitchen or joinery it's installed on, which is why it's worth specifying once and specifying well.