Martin Pierce: Door Handle Styles How They Evolve

Art can be a visual clue into the style of a particular period. This is certainly the case with the Art Nouveau movement as seen through the functional art of door hardware. This period has been defined in different ways and the exact expression is often country, region and culturally distinctive, making it difficult to pinpoint in words but easier to identify visually. The period for Martin Pierce has been the basis of his work be it in furniture making or in door hardware. The art nouveau period spanning the 1890 to 1910 was in part a reaction to the formality of the Victorian style and its very name “new art” expresses the intent of breaking with tradition and older recognized forms. While every country and culture expressed their new art in local terms there is an adherence to organic shapes, fluid lines and a holistic perspective that is common ground.

The holistic and fluid nature was something that few periods have achieved since. In Antonio Gaudi and Victor Horta their work was not limited to architecture but spanned the furniture within the building, the door hardware and lighting and even the silverware and china that a family would use. It was a period where the details mattered. As such it is a design philosophy at the heart of Martin Pierce’s work and continues to influence his door handle designs as seen in his current new door handle design.

Below the influence of vines and old gnarly roots seem to have figured into door handle design at at Parc Guell the intended location for a new upscale housing development in Barcelona.