Interior Design Fittings and Fixtures - Hinges

Hinges

Hinges are generally used to allow a panel or door to move while still remaining attached to the cabinet cupboard or door frame.

They come in all sorts of finishes, shapes and sizes generally described below.

Note that specifications will refer to fixed and loose pin.

This is important, it means that the pin can or can not be removed, this has implications with security i.e. if the hinge is exposed to the outside and the pin can be removed then there is no point in being able to lock the cabinet.

Butt Hinge

This is a simple form of hinge. It comes in all sorts of sizes and finishes, from steel to brass, to having nylon bushes between the moving plates for smoothness and quietness.

Parliament Hinge

This is used to throw the door out from the edge of the building so that it may open around 180 degrees.

T Hinge

For attaching to the door ledges where there is no frame e.g. for a boarded door.

Self-Closing Hinge

This may be in the form of a butt hinge with angled joins so that when the door is opened it lifts and closes when released due to gravity or it may be a simple spring loaded small hinge found on most cabinetry today. The advantage with this hinge is that it requires no lock or catch as the door is continually under pressure. These modern hinges only close when pulled back to a closing position so that they don't continually try and close while you are in the cupboard and are usually simply adjusted so that after some time if the door drops out of line it is a simple job to adjust the screw and straighten them up.

Overlay Snap Hinge

This is a colonial style overlay door hinge designed to be mounted to the front of the cabinet frame and the rear of the door face. It is a particular design of hinge for the traditional pieces that have an ornate part of the hinge exposed to the front of the cabinet.

Invisible Hinge

This hinge is another important cabinetry hinge that remains totally out of site to all planar surfaces. The hinge itself is mortised into the panel edges. They are ideal for folding leaf tables and bi-folding applications.