Bathroom furniture handles play a key role in remodelling these spaces

“First the important stuff, then we’ll get down to the details.”

Don’t tell me you’ve never heard that phrase? It may have come from the mouth of an architect, or an interior designer, or a specialist from the bathroom department of a DIY store, big or small – that’s the least of it.

First the important stuff, and then we’ll look at the details. Dogma. Period. That’s it.

So what’s the important stuff, then?

Because when a supposedly up-to-date specialist, a department professional or, simply, a shop assistant hits you with the lapidary phrase that, colloquially translated, goes something like: “Let’s decide on the important things first: the spaces and the layout, and then you can take care of the little details”, what they mean is that the little details, the small accessories – for example, the bathroom furniture handles – are a secondary priority. They’re making a mistake.

Because, let’s see, if by “secondary” they mean that they’re put in place when the piece of furniture is finished or almost finished, then we have to admit that they’re right. But if, as may happen, they mean that they’re a complementary accessory, that’s easily replaceable and of little relevance, then they’re completely wrong.

A good professional knows this, and avoids these kinds of comments that, because they’re old-fashioned, wrong and misplaced, should be extinct.

And that’s the way we’re going, because the manufacturers of bathroom furniture handles, such as REI, have recognised their true value. They’ve placed these accessories, which are so vital that they sometimes decide the design of the entire piece of furniture, or a room as a whole, in the place they deserve.

A bathroom furniture handle has the potential to make a bathroom perfect or a wreck, aesthetically and functionally speaking. So let’s stop joking around, describing them as “finishing touches” or the owner’s “personal touch”.

A bathroom handle is an essential component in the definition of a project (whether it’s an initial work or a renovation), of a bathroom, its space, layout, functionality, style, colour, and final aesthetics.

We’re going to give you some examples that speak for themselves and demonstrate, without a doubt, how obsolete it is to call an essential part of a house a “small detail”.

Let’s consider a remodelling project, where we want to make the most of a bathroom that’s smaller than we’d have liked, while keeping an antique drawer unit that would look divine next to the shower, but that unfortunately compromises opening the washbasin drawers because the handle would get stuck in the drawer unit, damaging it.

• “I want a solution.” The client says that they’re not willing to give up on an idea that works in their head like a parallel reality, in which everything fits perfectly.
• “We’ll give you a solution.” The efficient DIY store manager responds, because they’re able to offer a suitable range of bathroom furniture handles. They demonstrate this by presenting the customer with a number of options, including, for example, the invisible closure provided by the inglet handle, which makes it easier to open the washbasin cabinet without potentially damage-causing handles.

Let’s continue with another example. This one covers the power of a bathroom handle when we’re finalising a remodelling project, highlighting its unity. For example, while transforming a traditional bathroom into a bathroom with an updated, minimalist design.

Let’s say that we have the space required, the right lighting and the freedom to choose the materials that best contribute to the open and uncluttered atmosphere that the client’s looking for. But here’s the crux of the matter: the client also wants their bathroom to be different from all the in-fashion, minimalist, and clean, almost impersonal, bathrooms they’ve seen in publications and specialist shops.

The handle is the key, and the characters involved in this plot – the manufacturers, the designer, the salesperson, the client and, probably, their friend who gives non-stop advice – all know it.

The squeaky clean bathroom atmosphere gains personality and charm thanks to some handles with, for example, a colonial, ethnic or vintage design. Whether in metal, wood or glass, they give it that personal, exclusive and unique touch, making the bathroom a unique and aesthetically unclassifiable room.

Because the bathroom has long since acquired the status of a room; long, long ago, it ceased to be a room to just pass through in a hurry, without paying much attention to its style, nor its lighting or details.

No, it’s been a long time since the bathroom conquered the role of the centrepiece in the home. It’s a fully-fledged member of the household, regardless of its size, which deserves the same decorative, functional and aesthetic care as a kitchen, a living room or a bedroom.

For this reason, bathroom furniture handles are of the utmost importance when we’re thinking about a bathroom project. They’re inextricably linked to the aesthetic and practical whole that’s formed by furniture, lighting, spaces and style, and that will define the entire room.

Bathroom furniture handles are fundamental, because they have a vast practical and transformational capacity. One that can spoil the party, or legitimise the balance of a project.

To achieve that, you just have to give them the place and value they deserve. They’ll return that energy to whoever knows how to take it into account, and intuit their fantastic potential.