Beyond Door Thousand 6: Sorry, Still Peeing

These illuminated door handles are a technologically advanced take on the simple flip-lock with a little circle on the other side … they are from Brighthandle, and when you turn the privacy latch, the glowing part on the end of the handle turns green or red, depending on whether you have locked or unlocked the door.

Sure, we all love technology … but there are some things which are really, really unnecessary. We know that our grandparents were saying that about mobile phones 15 years ago, but of this we are actually pretty certain. It seems that the only person that would have the money and time to bother installing these are companies and corporations, but they are also the institutions that will least like spending extra money on electricity and installation, when they could have had the simple old –circle-in-the-other-side-of-the-door.

However, if their cute kitschness does appeal to you, then you have the choice of several lighting designs for your Brighthandles – the illumination can showup as dots on the outside of the handle, as a line, as an overlaid sleeve, or as a simple change in the handle from metal to illuminated plastic. There is also an option which only shows the colour at the tip of the lever, so that if red or green don’t match your décor, you can still enjoy their convenience.

One thing to beware of if you have fallen in love – these are not simple to install, being that there has to be enough room in the door body itself to hide the unit, which houses several batteries. The installation instructions assume that the old locking system on the door will take up exactly the same amount of room as the new Brighthandles system, conveniently shortening the instructions and making them seem quite simple to put in. However, you might need to get out the old chisel, measuring tape and swear jar for this DIY project! Alternatively, have a qualified carpenter fit it for you.

Another thing to note is that it might not be smart to install on your front door … if you leave the house in a rush one morning without turning the latch, there will be a giant ‘green light’ to anybody passing by, saying that everything inside is up for grabs! No hiding your forgetfulness then!