Can I mix finishes on one side of the doorknob and the other side?
Yes.

Pick the one you like best and gradually switch them all out. I personally don't bother with split finishes.

Pick the one you like best...

that would be ORB, but only one room has ORB inside it..one of the bedrooms. When the bathroom door is open, the ORB doorknob will be inside a brushed nickel room. When the MBR door is open, the ORB will be mixing with Antique brass.

Those are the mixes that I think will disturb me.

I am wondering if antique brass or brushed nickel might be more "neutral" to go with the others better? They all seem so different.

and gradually switch them all out.

Do you mean all the rooms inside and out? I do plan on doing all 4 hallway doorknobs at once. I don't plan on any changes inside any of the rooms.

I'm switching all mine out to ORB. I don't bother with split finishes. It's too confusing. My powder room has all chrome lighting and fixtures and the ORB doorknob and it looks fine. The knobs don't need to coordinate with what you have going on in the room. It's kind of their own category. I just like for all the doorknobs throughout the house to match, or coordinate.

Just work room from room i think. There are so many lovely mortice knobs online. Something light and possibly glass if you can afford it

Here is a link that might be useful: Cupboard knobs

Our house was built in 1968 and by the time we got it had different doorknobs all throughout. It seemed pretty random and did not give it a "well finished" look.

I bought doorknobs for every door and closet, a few at a time last winter, and changed them ALL to match. The first couple were tough, but now I'm a whiz! ;)

It looks a lot better to me. It's probably not noticeable to anyone else, but I think all the random doorknobs was a bit off.

I think it would look strange to have different knobs on the opposite sides of the same door.

I have a mix of antique brass and ORB in the house. I think both finishes work beautifully together.

@biochem: so you ignored the finishes of the room that the door opened? what finish did you go with?

@marymill: I don't know what you mean "room from room"

I think it would look strange to have different knobs on the opposite sides of the same door.

yeah, I've given up on that idea. It would not look odd if you were inside the room with the door closed, but that's about it.

I am now thinking maybe antique brass is a bit more neutral than ORB and it might go with the other finishes okay.

After I paint the doors, maybe I will have a better feel for it. Going stained to white is so dramatic, it is hard to visualize the finished details.

Hi there,
When my husband and I renovated our house, we replaced all the doorknobs and hardware with the same satin nickel finish.

I doubt any of our guests have ever noticed, but in our eyes, our hallway just looks so much better, more crisp and finished. (I think it helps that we smoothed out the popcorn ceiling too:)
Mira

...and hardware...

Oh my... you mean hinges? Oh dear I hadn't considered those. I will have to go take a look. I think mine are all a dull brass. So far (in other rooms downstairs), I've been ignoring the hinges.

I agree that antique brass is a little more neutral than ORB. Also, I believe that satin, or antiqued, brass is the Next Big Thing, so your finishes would be up to date for a longer time.

that's interesting. I ran into satin brass a few years ago when I was shopping for sink fixtures. I wasn't crazy about it then, but will keep an open mind. I did end up with a gorgeous antique brass faucet. My tastes have shifted more contemporary than traditional since then so I might like it now.

Antique/Satin brass would solve my hinge matching issue! And Satin brass would blend reasonably well with the satin nickel in the bathroom. It would only be a mismatch in the ORB bedroom, but I can live with that. They are fairly complimentary.

What color are all your switchplates?

Of course, there's always glass, which is lovely too. The stems, rosettes and/or faceplates would be the same color as the door hinges.

Traditionally the bathroom knob was white or nickel on the inside and the same color as the rest of the house on the outside; other than interior closet knobs, which were either turnkeys or smaller knobs, all of the knobs in the house matched.

I am now going through the process of painting my doorknobs from brass to antique bronze. They are turning out beautifully! It will certainly buy me time before needing to replace especially on those doors that are not opened and closed as much.

My two very used powder rooms were done about 3 weeks ago and they are holding up great! I am so thrilled with the turnout. And for $7 and a very little work, it makes a huge difference. This is one of those great therapy projects, big return on the little investment!

So I would say, start spraying and see how you like it!