Although I won’t be cooking the traditional turkey and stuffing this year, I am wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to any of you who will be celebrating!

I have specified hardware for thousands of doors during my career (here’s where to get help with a specification).  During my travels this week, I’ve seen several doors that reminded me of the dozens of times that I worked with someone who wanted hardware to be invisible, or objected to the look of something that was required by code.  It can be tough to balance functionality and code requirements with aesthetics, but I think we’ve got some pretty good looking (and code-compliant) hardware in the U.S.!

These doors are in my daughter’s study-abroad dorm, which is former military housing.  BTW…there is a better way to install door closers on arched doors – using on of LCN’s special templates.  The “bayonet” in the middle is a gravity coordinator.

It was definitely gratifying to see that the existing mechanical hold opens on the cross-corridor doors have been changed to electrified holders so the doors will release and close if there is a fire, although I don’t think these holders would fly in the U.S. market:

I saw another example of “not invisible” hardware at the Frankfurt Airport.  Note: Nottaste means emergency button:

At the airport I learned how to say “fire door” in German – two different ways!  Behind this panel is a “special purpose” fire door that will extend across to the opposite wall if there is a fire:

I also saw these very big doors, with hardware that is a bit higher than the allowable mounting height for the U.S.:

I think the device on this gate is for keeping the gate from flapping around, not for providing security, but it’s pretty creative:

The local grocery store has Ben and Jerry’s (ice cream)…and a blocked exit:

I saw this sad Fixed-it Friday on a Wednesday:

And finally…check out this chocolate I saw at the Christmas Market!  The guy next to me said, “I’d like a spark plug, please.”

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