How to Order Häfele Loox Lighting – A Step-by-Step Guide

When planning your next project, lighting can make all the difference. With Häfele’s Loox LED system, you can create beautifully lit kitchens, bedrooms, living spaces and bespoke furniture with ease. The Loox range is designed as a modular, plug-and-play system, meaning you only need to choose the right components to get started.

At SDS London, we’ve put together this simple guide to show you exactly what to order – step by step.

Step 1 – Choose Your Lights

First, decide which type of lighting best suits your project. Häfele Loox offers a wide choice:

Spotlights – Perfect for under cabinets, wardrobes, or display shelving.
Strip lights – Flexible LED strips for continuous, seamless illumination.
Profile lighting – Adds a sleek finish to LED strips for professional installations.
Downlights – Ideal for ceilings, cupboards, or feature lighting.

Finger Plates: A Small Detail That Makes a Big Impact on Door Design

Finger plates are often overlooked door hardware elements that provide both practical protection and significant aesthetic enhancement. Understanding their design impact and proper selection transforms ordinary doors into sophisticated architectural features.

In door hardware, the smallest details often create the greatest impact on overall design success. Finger plates, also known as push plates, represent one of these crucial details that bridge the gap between functional necessity and aesthetic excellence. When properly selected and coordinated, these simple elements enhance door appearance whilst providing essential protection.

Understanding Finger Plates and Their Function

What Are Finger Plates?

Finger plates are protective and decorative metal plates installed on door surfaces to prevent damage from hand contact whilst enhancing visual appeal:

Surface Protection: Protect door finishes from fingerprints, scratches,

Flush Pull Handles vs Traditional Pull Handles: Which One to Choose?

The choice between flush and traditional pull handles significantly impacts both door aesthetics and functionality. Understanding the advantages and applications of each type ensures optimal selection for specific requirements and design goals.

Pull handle selection represents a crucial design decision that affects door appearance, operational convenience, and long-term satisfaction. The fundamental choice between flush-mounted and traditional surface-mounted handles influences everything from visual impact to maintenance requirements and user experience.

Understanding Flush Pull Handles

Design Characteristics

Flush pull handles sit recessed into door surfaces, creating clean, uninterrupted lines:

Minimal Projection: Handles sit flush or nearly flush with door surfaces, eliminating protrusion.

Clean Aesthetics: Create streamlined appearances that complement contemporary and minimalist design approaches.

Space Efficiency:

What Are Lock Forend and Strike Plates? And Why They Matter in Security

Lock forends and strike plates are often overlooked components that play crucial roles in door security and operation. Understanding their functions, types, and importance helps ensure optimal lock performance and maximum security effectiveness.

While mortice locks receive most attention in security discussions, the supporting components - forends and strike plates - are equally critical to overall performance. These seemingly simple metal plates provide the crucial interface between lock mechanisms and door frames, directly affecting security, durability, and operational smoothness.

Understanding Lock Forends

What Is a Lock Forend?

The forend (also called faceplate) is the visible metal plate that covers the mortice lock mechanism where it meets the door edge. This component serves multiple essential functions:

Mechanism Protection: The forend protects the internal lock mechanism from damage, debris, and tampering

The Complete Guide to Installing Security Gates and Grilles in the UK

Security gates and grilles provide robust protection for commercial and residential properties whilst maintaining visibility and accessibility. Understanding installation requirements, regulatory compliance, and design options ensures optimal security enhancement for any property.

Physical security barriers have become increasingly important for UK properties facing rising crime rates and evolving security threats. Security gates and grilles offer visible deterrence whilst maintaining functionality, but successful implementation requires understanding regulatory requirements, installation considerations, and performance capabilities.

Understanding Security Gates and Grilles

Types of Security Solutions

Modern security barriers encompass various designs tailored to specific applications and requirements:

Collapsible Security Gates: Retractable gates that provide security when closed whilst allowing full access when open.

Shutters for Security and Style: Why More UK Homes Are Installing Them

Window shutters are experiencing a renaissance in UK homes, combining traditional charm with modern functionality. From enhanced security and privacy to energy efficiency and aesthetic appeal, today's shutters offer compelling benefits for contemporary living.

The popularity of window shutters in UK homes has surged dramatically in recent years, driven by homeowners seeking solutions that combine practical benefits with aesthetic enhancement. Modern shutters offer sophisticated functionality that addresses multiple concerns - security, privacy, energy efficiency, and style - making them an increasingly attractive investment for discerning homeowners.

The Modern Shutter Renaissance

Historical Context and Contemporary Revival

Shutters have a rich heritage in British architecture, originally serving essential functions in an era before central heating and advanced glazing technologies. Today's revival combines this

Nightlatches Explained: Boosting Front Door Security Without Compromising Style

Nightlatches offer an elegant solution for front door security, combining convenience with robust protection. Understanding their operation, benefits, and installation options helps homeowners enhance security whilst maintaining aesthetic appeal and operational simplicity.

Front door security requires balancing multiple priorities: robust protection against intrusion, convenient daily operation, aesthetic integration with property design, and compliance with insurance requirements. Nightlatches provide sophisticated solutions that address all these concerns through elegant, time-tested designs that have evolved with modern security needs.

Understanding Nightlatch Technology

What Is a Nightlatch?

A nightlatch is a surface-mounted lock that secures doors from the inside whilst providing key-operated access from outside. Unlike mortice locks that are embedded within door thickness, nightlatches mount on the door's

Contract Mortice Locks vs DIN Standard Locks: What's the Difference?

Understanding the distinction between Contract and DIN standard mortice locks is crucial for specifying the right security solution. Each type serves different applications and offers unique advantages for residential, commercial, and institutional use.

When selecting mortice locks for any project, architects, contractors, and property managers face a fundamental choice between Contract mortice locks and DIN standard systems. While both provide secure door hardware, they're designed for different applications and offer distinct performance characteristics that significantly impact their suitability for specific projects.

Understanding Contract Mortice Locks

Contract mortice locks are specifically designed for commercial and high-use residential applications where durability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness are paramount considerations.

Key Characteristics of Contract Locks

Robust Construction: Contract locks feature

How to Choose the Right Mortice Lock for Commercial vs Residential Doors

Selecting the appropriate mortice lock requires understanding the distinct demands of commercial and residential applications. Different usage patterns, security requirements, and regulatory standards mean that one size definitely does not fit all.

The choice of mortice lock can make or break a building's security strategy and user experience. Commercial and residential applications present fundamentally different challenges that require tailored solutions, from basic security needs to complex compliance requirements and varying usage intensities.

Understanding Application Differences

Commercial Door Demands

Commercial buildings subject locks to intense, continuous use that would quickly overwhelm residential-grade hardware:

High-Frequency Operation: Office doors may be operated hundreds of times daily, compared to dozens of times for residential doors.

Diverse User Base: Multiple users with varying levels of care

Glass Cabinet Hinges: How to Achieve a Sleek Finish for Kitchens and Displays

Glass cabinet hinges transform ordinary storage into sophisticated display features. Understanding the unique requirements of glass door mounting, adjustment, and operation ensures stunning results that combine functionality with contemporary aesthetics.

Modern kitchen and display designs increasingly feature glass doors that showcase contents whilst maintaining dust protection and organised storage. Achieving professional results with glass cabinet doors requires specialised hinges designed specifically for glass mounting, along with proper installation techniques and careful adjustment procedures.

Understanding Glass Cabinet Hinge Technology

Unique Requirements of Glass Doors

Glass cabinet doors present distinct challenges that require specialised hardware solutions:

Material Characteristics: Glass cannot be drilled, mortised, or modified like traditional door materials, requiring surface-mounting solutions.

Floor Springs vs Traditional Door Closers: Which is Right for You?

Choosing between floor springs and traditional overhead door closers significantly impacts door performance, aesthetics, and long-term functionality. Understanding the distinct advantages and applications of each system ensures optimal selection for specific requirements and environments.

Door closing systems are essential components that ensure doors close properly whilst providing controlled operation for user safety and comfort. The choice between floor springs and traditional overhead closers affects not only functional performance but also aesthetic outcomes, maintenance requirements, and long-term costs.

Understanding Floor Spring Technology

What Are Floor Springs?

Floor springs are concealed door closing mechanisms installed within the floor beneath hinged doors. These sophisticated systems provide controlled door operation whilst remaining completely hidden from view.

Concealed Operation: The entire mechanism is