I also have emtek and love them! Here are some pics click and you can see the whole album! Happy decision making! door knobs and fixtures

FWIW, I got ORB hinges for my previous house for about a buck apiece on eBay. (The seller was either stealth-goat or yourhomesupply.) Just make sure you pay attention to the screw hole pattern on your doors - it costs more to return the darn things than it cost to buy them! The thingy that goes behind the knob is called a rosette (if it's round) or a backplate (if it's not). If you're aiming for an old-fashioned "flavor" the metal parts of the old crystal doorknobs were usually brass (which darkened with age, ; Emtek's French Antique finish would mimic it reasonably well) or, less commonly, black iron.

Ajsmama: The door pics look really nice, with a smooth look. I learned from mostly Minwax literature and some forums that I'll need pre-stain treatment to solve the grain/absorption problem with woods like pine. Then I was just going to stain, and with a final coat of poly. I wasn't sure where sanding would come into the picture, probably just sanding off the dusts/specs that got trapped in the poly. I am not even sure what I can do with the raised grain with a water based paint/stain. The raised grain on the trim (after being painted with glossy latex paint) was just about impossible to sand down. I suppose it's not terrible being trims, but for doors that may just make enough difference to matter. I am using a 150 grit paper. I was thinking of using small foam rollers to apply the poly, if not the stain, for an even finish. However, that's just a thought in theory: in testing on sample drywall/wood blocks, smoothest finish with anything water based paint/finish could be achieved with those high density foam rollers, much more easily than brushes. Of course, these are the plans from someone who has no experience and learned from very scattered materials. I see here that there's a 4th step before coating with poly, to "use shellac as a sanding sealer". I'm not sure how that works, how to apply (I imagine coating and sanding, assuming shellac is a softer material than poly to sand down for a smoother finish?), or what exactly shellac is. I'm just that far off the curve here. :P Magnaverde: I just learned how oil based may achieve a superior finish. I asked around in the store and nobody could tell me the difference between oil and water based other than that water dries faster and doesn't smell. That made it an easy choice, as it is getting pretty cold here and opening window to vent VOC will be tough. Given that, I'm wondering now how difficult will it be to sand down the grain if I use water based stain/paint, to achieve a similar result to oil based paint/varnish/stain? Also if done properly (with pre-stain treament and all), is staining the pine with those grains acceptable, and in what color/finish? I suppose "naked door" with poly is nobody's cup of tea here. :) I'm not sure if a sketch of the room's dimensions will help visualizing the door better than a picture of one corner. Here it is: As you can see the apt has a very odd layout that cannot be salvaged easily. The door in question is the one to the top, next to the window/mock sofa. Most of the furniture are in maple/natural/pine color, as they were modular and simply carried over from the apartment rental days (new furniture may be in order). I haven't sketched up the trims though, but they are 4" base trims with 3.5" door casing, the largest I could get without going to the lumber yard for some much fancier versions. The trims and casing are painted in benjamin moore's "superwhite" in glossy finish. The front door (right hand side) at the end of the corridor is finished in white. The closet (center of the apt) has a bifold pine door that will be finished the same as the bathroom door. I'd appreciate any ideas/opinions with the door finish, again. I'm thankful of all the help here. This is so much more than I imagined I'd get in return to my question, which was originally thought to be as simple as a door knob finish. :) The question with the door had always been a bit nebulous to me, and it's just now began to clear up. Thanks guys.

Not necessarily - it depends largely on how ornate your hardware is to begin with, but we often advocate a balanced mixture to keep the eye interested throughout a home. Key is to ensure all door handles are the same, all cabinet hardware group is the same finish or style and so forth. See an example here of how we mixed metals in this kitchen remodel we did!