The industrial revolution was a great leap forward in mechanising many of the manufacturing processes that had previously been very time intensive and it forever changed the face of history. It also spawned the Arts & Crafts movement which championed hand-crafted honesty over the perceived decline in standards associated with factory production.

Now, 100 years later, factory production has become the norm but there are still companies and consumers who manufacture or seek out hand-crafted and hand-finished products as examples of the artisanship that once was standard. Windsor Architectural Hardware is one of them.

“Windsor Architectural Hardware has been offering clients bespoke hand-finished door and window hardware for more than 35 years,” says National Business Development Manager Daniel McCallum.

“These ‘special finishes’ augment our range of standard finishes and are available in three main categories – Living finishes, Gloss and Matt Lacquered finishes – with each bringing its own distinctive allure to our solid brass hardware.”

It’s a Kiwi thing…

Windsor’s hand-finishing artisans work out of the company’s Invercargill factory and have many years’ experience between them, says Daniel.

“For our craftsmen, there is a genuine passion for what they do, and they’ve been doing it for a long time. They take a great deal of pride in the quality of their workmanship of every handle and every part.”

“This is not some quick effect lightly applied, the hand-finishing process requires each single piece to be disassembled and individually processed, imparting a distinct uniqueness to the finished product that cannot be achieved through mass production.”

Despite the effort involved, Daniel says the team is able to work on a quick turnaround of 5-10 working days on customised finishes.

Having options is a good thing

“Our most exclusive finish series, the Living Finishes, are designed to become more elegant with age and use through natural patina within the brass material composition. This has four brass and two bronze options, and if needed can be adapted to match finishes of other fixtures and décor that clients may already have in their homes such as tapware or light fittings,” says Daniel.

“The Gloss Lacquered range has two brass and three bronze options, and the Matt Lacquered range features just the two bronze options.”

Hand finishing is available on Windsor’s Italian hardware collection, featuring six different door handle styles and five door plate styles, allowing for a comprehensive array of style possibilities from traditional right through to sleek and contemporary.

Choosing Windsor Architectural Hardware

“Windsor specialises in hardware for high-end residential applications, and we’re proud of the relationships that have been established between ourselves, the interior design community and our distributors nationally, as well as homeowners, many of whom have become repeat customers over the years,” says Daniel.

“We are not simply a reseller of European made products, but only sell the Windsor brand with real, New Zealand ‘value-add’, backed by reputable product quality, offering a 15-year warranty on all of our brass ranges.”