Modern Door Handle on Plate Brass - MADE IN FRANCE

A straight lever on a period-style backplate

The lever is flat, straight, with sharp edges: a contemporary design that seeks no ornament. It is mounted on a forend-profile backplate, that bevelled profile with a small crown at the top and bottom, a design dating back to pre-war ironmongery.

The contrast is intentional. It is what allows this set to work equally well on a renovation door, where the backplate covers the marks of a previous fitting, and on new joinery where it provides the only curved line.

Choosing the backplate drilling

This is the only decision to make before ordering, and it depends on the lock already fitted to your door. Look at what is beneath your current handle:

• No keyhole — the plate is blank. For a door that does not lock with a key: wardrobe, child's bedroom, communicating door.
• Keyhole cut-out — the classic keyhole-shaped drilling, for a bit key. This is the standard drilling for older French interior doors.
• Euro cylinder — a round hole, for a cylinder lock. Found on more recent locks.
• Bathroom/WC turn — the small thumb-turn on the inside, with its emergency release on the outside. This is the drilling for bathrooms and WCs.

Not sure? Send us a photo of your door with the handle in place: we will tell you which drilling to order.

Specifications

• Material: solid brass
• Lever: flat, straight lever
• Backplate: long, forend-shaped profile, exposed screws
• Backplate drilling: no keyhole, keyhole cut-out, euro cylinder or bathroom/WC turn
• Spindle supplied: 7 mm
• Return spring: none — compatible with lift-to-lock mechanisms
• Contents: a pair of lever handles on backplate, a 7 mm spindle, fixings
• Origin: France, Vimeu (Picardy)
• Warranty: 2 years

Finishes

From bright gold to anthracite, via bronze, copper, chrome and nickel finishes. The chosen finish is applied to both the lever and the backplate: the set arrives matched, from the same treatment bath.

The spindle

The spindle is the metal rod that passes through the lock and transmits the movement of the lever. Its cross-section varies by country and by lock type.

• 7 mm — supplied as standard. This is the French standard for mortice locks, also known as sash locks.
• 6 mm — the standard for rim locks. If your lock case is screwed onto the face of the door, this is almost certainly the one you need. Let us know when ordering: we will include the 6 mm spindle instead, at no extra charge.
• 8 mm — Switzerland, Belgium and the rest of the European Union. Let us know when ordering. We also check your delivery address: if it is outside France, we will adjust accordingly without you having to think about it.

Installation

Each lever is fitted to its backplate; the two backplates are screwed on either side of the door, and the spindle passes through the lock case to connect them. No new drilling is required if the previous handle was also on a backplate: the long plate covers the marks left by the previous fitting.

These levers have no return spring: it is the lock that returns the lever to the horizontal position. They are therefore suitable as standard for lift-to-lock mechanisms, the type you lift to lock. Fixings and Allen key are supplied.

Solid brass, cast in Picardy

Gravity cast in a sand mould, machined, silver-brazed rather than glued, then hand-polished in the Vimeu, the historic heartland of French hardware manufacturing. The brass is solid: you feel the weight the moment you pick it up, and that is what sets a cast piece apart from a lightweight alloy shell.

Some finishes are prepared to order: please allow extra lead time if yours is not currently in the workshop.

See also our full range of brass door handles.