The Orb Door Handle updates the classic lever by inviting users to "push down on an orbit." The truly ingenious element is the handle's integrated LED light ring, usable as anything from a nightlight to a bathroom vacancy indicator.

A play on today's ubiquitous form of communication,Gionata Gatto's SMnS series—meaning "Short Message non Superfluous"—is an ode to handmade messages and a reminder about non-technological methods of interaction. Inspired by the wishful message-in-a-bottle tradition, Gatto's SMnS Clip is an oversized fastener that opens doors and holds notes. The less obvious SMnS Cone has a hollow metal handle with a widened end optimized for sliding in slips of paper.

Designboom's recent collaboration with Italian handle manufacturer Colombo Design for the international Hands on Door Handles Competition produced several worthy designs. Among them is Amos Marchant's Door Handle with Wedge, which integrates a solid wood doorstop into its sleek stainless steel handle. The aesthetic of the two contrasting materials becomes functional when the stop is removed for use.

LEDoorHandle has a built-in light sensor that can detect when to turn on the night light, and the handle actually detaches from the base to convert into an LED flashlight -- just by opening and closing the door handle you're charging the integrated lithium batteries of the flashligh.