(LEFT) Palm Door Handle in Natural Brass (RIGHT) Pencil Door Handle in Natural Aluminium
Pittella introduces Palm and Pencil by Dnd, designed by internationally renowned architecture studio BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group). Recognised for projects that explore the evolving relationship between people and the built environment, BIG’s work reflects a careful balance between geometry, movement and human interaction.
From large-scale architectural works such as The City Wave Office in Milan to the studio’s own headquarters with 140m stair case, BIG’s approach considers how form shapes experience.
In Palm and Pencil, this architectural thinking is translated to the scale of touch. The collections explore how a simple gesture of opening a door can be shaped with the same clarity and intention as a building. Released together, the two door handle collections explore contrasting yet complementary approaches to form, use and architectural character.
(LEFT) BIG Headquarters, Copenhagen Denmark, (RIGHT) City Wave Office, Milan
Jakob Lange, Partner and Head of BIG Products, BIG.
“In our collaboration with DND, we aimed to reimagine the tactile dialogue between user and space, culminating in the Palm and Pencil collections. While Palm is crafted to fit naturally in the palm of the hand, its forms inviting touch and interaction in an organic form language, the Pencil collection is a precise geometric statement, that mirrors the precision of a pencil tip by reducing the door handle to its purest essence.” – Jakob Lange, Partner and Head of BIG Products, BIG.
Palm, Designed for the Hand
Palm is defined by fluid, organic geometry informed by the natural contours of the hand. Its form prioritises comfort, clarity and intuitive use, resulting in a handle that feels resolved from first contact. Soft transitions replace sharp edges and visual complexity, allowing Palm to sit comfortably within a wide range of architectural settings, including both contemporary and more classical contexts.
Designed with ergonomics as a primary driver, Palm responds directly to how a handle is held, turned and released. The lever distributes pressure evenly across the palm, offering control without unnecessary weight or scale. This emphasis on use ensures reliable performance in environments where door hardware is used repeatedly throughout the day.
A defining feature of the Palm collection is its newly developed rosette, designed to echo the softened geometry of the lever. Its subtle curvature and controlled proportions allow the handle to sit comfortably within the plane of the door, supporting a wide range of door designs without appearing dominant or decorative. This attention to detail reinforces Pittella’s approach to architectural hardware as an integrated element, where every component is considered as part of a cohesive whole.
“We are drawn to products that feel resolved — pieces where the design comes from use rather than trend,” Simone Pittella.
Palm is manufactured from high-quality brass, selected for its strength, durability and suitability for long-term architectural use. This material foundation supports repeated daily interaction while maintaining clarity of form over time.
Palm introduces three newly developed finishes:
Natural Brass Living: left to age naturally through use, developing character over time
Sandblasted Bronze Stable: a stabilised finish designed to remain visually consistent while retaining the appearance of a natural, organic surface
Satin Graphite PVD: a refined fixed contemporary finish with enhanced durability through PVD treatment
Together, these finishes establish a warm and versatile palette that supports cohesive specification across varied architectural contexts.
Palm Handle in Natural Brass and newly developed Rosette
Pencil Door Handle in Natural Aluminium
Pencil, Defined by Precision
In contrast, Pencil explores a more linear and distilled design language. Defined by precision and clarity, its geometry is reduced to essential lines and controlled proportions. Where Palm is shaped by the hand, Pencil is guided by exactness and restraint.
The result is a handle with a crisp, architectural presence, suited to projects where a more graphic or structured expression is desired. Pencil integrates comfortably within both contemporary and more formal architectural contexts, supporting design intent without visual noise.
Pencil is available in a broader, more graphic finish palette aligned with its precise and linear character. The collection includes a range of coated and natural finishes, allowing Pencil to be specified with clarity across diverse architectural settings.
A defining addition is Natural Aluminium, a new finish left in its natural state. Fully recyclable, Natural Aluminium supports reduced environmental impact through a simplified production process while maintaining a clean, material-led appearance. Alongside this, Pencil is available in Black, White, Silver, Sandblasted Bronze and Satin Gold, offering a considered spectrum from neutral to expressive.
A Language Carried Through Space
Both Palm and Pencil have been developed as complete and coordinated collections. Each range includes a lever handle, matching door knob, passage set and locking bathroom privacy configuration, unified by a consistent design language and supported by coordinating components.
A coordinating magnetic latch supports clean detailing and quiet, precise operation, reinforcing architectural clarity across both collections. This allows either Palm or Pencil to be specified consistently across bedrooms, bathrooms and circulation spaces, maintaining visual and functional continuity throughout a project.
This system-based approach supports specification across a range of project types. In high-end residential settings, the collections complement bespoke joinery and considered material palettes. In multi-residential architecture, coordinated components and durable finishes support consistency and performance at scale.
Responsibility in the Making
The development of the finishes reflects an optimised manufacturing process that reduces unnecessary production stages. This approach delivers significant energy savings, reduces waste, increases the use of renewable energy in production, and ensures the finished product is fully recyclable.
For Pittella, this aligns environmental responsibility with design integrity, embedding sustainability within the manufacturing process rather than applying it as an afterthought.
Designed to be Used
Palm and Pencil do not seek to redefine the door handle, but to refine it. Through careful attention to use, material honesty and architectural clarity, both collections elevate an everyday object into a considered part of the built environment.
They are handles designed to be touched, used and lived withS, reflecting Pittella’s enduring commitment to craftsmanship, design integrity and the pursuit of perfection.
Pittella — The pursuit of perfection.
