How to choose furniture fittings, useful tips
The situation in the apartment plays an important role in human life. That is why the choice of furniture for the home is painstaking, but necessary. At the same time, furniture fittings play an important role, since it is it that provides comfort and durability in the operation of interior items.
Kinds
Of course, the appearance of furniture is very important, but let's not forget about the most important thing, namely the quality, durability, convenience and functionality of objects. Just these characteristics are provided by good furniture fittings and components that affect the interior of the room. This article will help you find out what furniture fittings are, what types of furniture fittings exist, and the rules for choosing furniture fittings. To better understand the design features, it is worth looking at the photos in the selection.
Each product fulfills its functional purpose and corresponds to its loads. High-quality furniture fittings ensure that the furniture will last a long time. The purchase of furniture hardware will allow you to assemble your own furniture. Italy is the best choice of manufacturer. If we consider all types of fittings, then it is worth choosing Italian. It is considered to be elite, so when buying, give preference to goods whose names are labeled “made in Italy”.
Furniture fittings are:
- front fittings;
- fixing.
The first type includes products whose main function is decorative, but often they are not without additional values (for example, a handle for a drawer door). For this type, new furniture accessories often appear. Front hardware is as much a part of the interior as the furnishings themselves, as it remains in sight, unlike furniture hardware.
This group of products is required to preserve the appearance without significant changes after years of use, as well as ergonomics. Close attention is paid to protective coatings resistant to mechanical stress and abrasion. In high-quality furniture, the material of the fittings is plastic, metal or wood, depending on the characteristics and design of the furniture.
Front hardware is divided into:
- pens;
- locks;
- hooks;
- edging materials;
- decorative elements.
The second type includes products that play an important practical role. They guarantee reliable connections as well as structural features. Mounting hardware should be made of quality material, durable, reliable and compact.
The following elements belong to it:
- furniture hinges;
- lifting gears;
- shelf holders;
- couplers (bolt);
- accessories for furniture assembly;
- furniture fittings for glass;
- accessories for drawers (extension mechanisms, shelf holders and others);
- bolt (coupler screw) and screws;
- seals.
Pens
There are three principles for the operation of a door handle:
- stationary;
- with a push mechanism;
- rotary.
The first type is rarely used in practice. It has no lock and is designed to push or pull the door. But such a pen differs in shape and therefore is often used as a decorative one. For the second type, a latch is required, which works when you press the handle. Due to this, the door opens or closes. Installing an internal lock will allow closing from the inside.
Rotary handles are spherical in shape. The latch is activated when you turn the knob counterclockwise. Usually, the user from the inside can block the rotation of the handle from the back, blocking access to the room. Such handles are often installed in the bathroom.
RotaryStationaryWith push mechanismThe texture of the images on the handle must be selected, like the door trim. For example, if the door has a transverse pattern of wood, then the handles must correspond to it.
Castors
Furniture castors - one of the types of support, allowing you to move furniture, without putting much physical effort. They can be made of plastic, like most office furniture, or from decorative beech - to increase aesthetic appeal. Roller wheels are equipped with a bearing, the quality of which depends on their service life.
Legs
Many types of furniture have fixing devices - furniture supports or legs. They are especially important for chairs, tables (accessories for tables), camping furniture. They hold the entire weight of the structure, so they must be reliable. It is worth noting that such an element as a decorative support often plays an important role in the design of furniture. Distinguish between adjustable and unregulated supports. The simplest form of support is a thrust bearing, which protects the bottom of the furniture from abrasion and possible moisture.
Connecting elements
Various fasteners belong to these elements: couplers, hinges, connecting accessories, shelf holders, screws, bolts, couplings, a decorative cover and a cap hiding these elements.
StubsScreedsShelf holdersAwningsCouplingHinges
Furniture hinges - connecting fittings, which serves to open and close the door leaves at a given angle. Also, these elements are used when creating transformer furniture. Structurally, they are a semi-mechanical device. It is the hinges that ensure the durability of the furniture, because they are made of metal and have a high level of strength.
The main types of loops:
- the patch loop is a standard choice for a conventional swinging facade, the side edge of which is used for fastening. A door with such a loop opens wide (up to 110⁰);
- half-hinge hinge - used in cabinets with a partition in the middle, the edge of which serves to fasten both doors, swinging open in opposite directions. Opening angle - 110⁰;
- inner loop;
- loop - transformer accessories;
- forged cast iron is well used for hinges of massive doors, for example, installed in the entrance;
- shelf holders;
- furniture accessories for transformers in the form of a loop that holds the weight of two facades. Suitable for corner cabinets or if there are drawers. At the same time, retractable and lifting mechanisms, shelf holders and others are considered.
Transformer furniture also comes in the form of tables. Accessories for tables provides the ability to create sliding countertops.
Consider the furniture fittings for the drawer guides:
- ball - inside the case there are small balls, due to which the drawer extends along the guide. Drawer drawers are fully extendable, you can put a closer, thanks to which the edge remains longer;
- Roller - unlike ball, roller guides allow the drawers to partially extend.
Lifting mechanisms are as follows:
- gas shock absorber;
- a lifting mechanism (elevator) with a closer for opening the facade vertically, thanks to such fasteners, the edge remains longer;
- folding mechanism with a closer for simultaneous opening of two horizontal facades at once.
In all cases, such mechanisms serve to ensure that the edge retains its functional properties and appearance longer.
Hooks
Attention to detail is very important in design. Therefore, choosing clothes hooks, it is worth considering carefully all the options. Hooks must withstand sufficient loads, therefore they are made mainly of strong metal materials. In addition to functional features, hooks vary in size, style, shape and design.
Crossbeam, pipe and bar
Furniture pipe is often installed in cabinets, racks as a support for display cases, tables. The pipe is used as a bar for clothes.
Types of similar accessories:
- pipe with a round cross section;
- pipe with an oval cross-section;
- bent pipes at different angles.
Locks
One of the most important functions of a door is the ability to close it from others. There are three types of locks for this task:
- latch;
- a lock with a key;
- locks for the bathroom.
The latch does not lock the door and is used for rooms where it is necessary to get rid of extraneous noise from neighboring rooms, but there is no need to close it. For example, in the kitchen, living room. Most often, the latch is installed on the door with a push handle.A key lock allows you to lock the door, leaving access to the room only to the owner of the key. It also happens that on one side of the door there is a pinwheel.
In the bathrooms they put locks with a spinner, which is easy to close from the inside. Choose a lock that has a special groove on the back, so that in which case you can rescue a person by opening the door.
With a keyLatchFor decorating
In addition to the types discussed above, front hardware for decoration is often made using glass. Glass furniture fittings are also common for cabinet furniture (table fittings). The material is usually metal or plastic, from which shelf holders, hinges, legs, latches, couplers, and bolts are made. To fix the accessories for glass furniture use glue that hardens under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. Such a decorative design is extremely aesthetic, and the joints are sometimes stronger than similar joints between wood and metal fittings, fixed by means of screed, screws.
Front fittings will make up a vintage item with antique furniture elements, antiques. These types of furniture are used to make exclusive design solutions. There is a finish, as a decorative version of wooden inserts in the form of pictures.
Selection recommendations
Do not forget that the service life of new furniture depends on the quality of the fittings. We advise you to take a photo of your apartment with you so that there is something to focus on when buying. Make sure that the kit contains information on how to assemble and install furniture fittings. Investing in quality products, you can get a high level of comfort. And of course, do not forget about the design - the arms or legs should not be contrasted with the main interior. They should only complement the overall picture, being the highlight of the room. If we take the stages of production of any furniture, then the furniture is far from the last place in them, and sometimes one improperly selected bolt can ruin the whole picture. A selection of photographs will help you better understand how certain elements look, which will make the right choice.