Leave it to a graduate of London’s Architecture Association to design a collection of elegant cabinetry pulls.

The school that turned out Hubert Muschamp, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Frank Harmon now brings us architectural hardware from Avanti Karnani.

She’s a designer with Ashley Norton, the U.K. firm that’s been in the states since 1987. The firm introduced a bronze collection in the early 2000s, one that took off quickly and did quite well. Brass, too, is part of its repertoire, says Ashish Karnani, vice president at the firm.

The newest collection designed by his wife, though, is crafted from oak and walnut in Denmark. She designed the pieces with a hand drawing first, then moved to a computer for three-dimensional renderings – and then into production.

“You can do so much more by hand,” she says.

The end product is natural wood that delivers warmth and beauty. The collection comes in a number of shapes and silhouettes, for a variety of cabinet colors and styles.

Each piece is designed with the end user in mind. The backs are rounded, with no sharp edges. “When you touch it, it feels like a natural material that’s good to hold and to touch,” she says. “We do not compromise.”

It’s an intuitive approach. “The process is organic – and the design inspiration comes from everyday use,” she says.

So she takes a tactile approach, but the hardware’s also visually pleasing. “It feels very light to the touch,” she says. “But it’s the product design that’s different – and that sets us apart from the rest of the market,” she says.

It helps, of course, that it was conceived, drawn and produced by an architect.

For more, go here.

[slideshow id=2187]