Specifying solid brass switches is a counting exercise before it is a buying one: positions first, finish second, dollars last. The Studio Timeless brass hardware trade program prices client projects gang by gang from your drawings, because the count is where a schedule is won or lost.
In short
- Studio Timeless runs a trade account for designers, architects, builders, kitchen studios and electrical contractors working on US residential and light commercial projects. Pricing tiers are confirmed in writing when the account is opened.
- Every Studio Timeless switch, dimmer and outlet is a one-piece solid brass unit. You schedule wall boxes and gangs, not plates plus devices.
- We quote from plans. A recent takeoff ran to 50 boxes and 117 individual controls across four electrical sheets, returned as a box-by-box quote.
- A real completed whole-house job came to 88 plates covering 154 gangs, $13,815 at list. That is the order of magnitude to carry into a client budget conversation.
- Two screws per gang, not per plate. A 5-gang position takes ten screws.
What the Studio Timeless trade program actually is
The trade program is an account that gives you project pricing, a direct contact instead of a support queue, and a technical check on your schedule before anything is made. Applications go through the trade program application, and the tier that applies to your account, including the threshold at which it improves, is confirmed in writing once the account opens. We do not publish tier percentages here because they are account specific.
What is consistent across every trade account: we read your drawings, we count with you, we flag the positions that will not work electrically before they are manufactured, and we price spares in the same quote rather than six weeks later when a lever is damaged during punch list.
Specifying brass switches is a counting exercise, not a shopping exercise
The most common failure on a brass hardware schedule is counting devices instead of positions. An American electrician thinks in boxes and gangs; a decorative catalog thinks in plates. Our products are complete units, so the two vocabularies agree, but only if the schedule is built in order: count wall boxes, count gangs per box, decide what each gang does, pick one finish, then price. A miscount becomes a change order.
How a plan takeoff works, sheet by sheet
A recent project arrived as four electrical sheets. The takeoff returned 50 wall boxes containing 117 individual controls and outlets, quoted position by position: which box gets a 3-gang unit, which gang is the 3-way end of a stair circuit, which positions are better served by a Decorator aperture because the client is installing a third party keystone or timer. The deliverable is a line item per box with the switching function beside it, so the electrician can read it on site. A plan set, a lighting schedule or a photographed list of rooms with box counts have all been quoted. Where drawings do not exist yet, the Custom Configurator forces the same decisions one position at a time.
The one-piece unit changes how you write a schedule
Studio Timeless switches, dimmers and outlets are monolithic: the solid brass front, the aperture and the mechanism are a single assembled unit. There is no separate plate to order and no device to source from a wiring devices supplier.
That is good news on site and bad news in a specification written on habit, which writes "plate" in one column and "device" in another. Do that with our catalog and you double count. Write one line per gang with the function.
The exception is the Decorator range. A brass wall plate with a standard Decora aperture is a plate only, made to cover a third party device the electrician supplies: a keystone insert, a timer, an occupancy sensor, a control-system dimmer. That is the one line where plate and device genuinely are two items.
What to put on the drawing before you price anything
Five pieces of information turn a hardware allowance into a quotable schedule.
| Information | Why it decides the price | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Box count and gang count per box | Pricing is per unit by gang count, not per room | Electrical plan or site measure |
| Function of each gang | A dimmer, a 3-way toggle and an outlet are different units at different prices | Lighting schedule or designer intent |
| One finish for the whole job | Finish names are not shared across our categories; mixing creates visible mismatch | Client sign-off, ideally on physical samples |
| Dimmed circuits and their load in watts | Low connected load is the main cause of flicker complaints | Fixture schedule and driver data sheets |
| Spares allowance | Made to order items are not stocked for instant replacement | Project risk, typically a small percentage of positions |
What a gang count costs, at list
List pricing scales with gang count, and the jump between ranges is the number most designers want in front of them early. These are current list prices for the brass toggle light switch range and the rotary dimmers, read from the catalog on October 5, 2026.
| Gangs | Knurled toggle | Retro Toggle | Knurled rotary dimmer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $84 | $92 to $104 | $150 |
| 2 | $126 | $142 | $230 |
| 3 | $173 | $197 | $349 |
| 4 | $237 | $269 | $459 |
| 5 | On request | On request | $579 |
Read the per-position cost, not the headline. A 4-gang knurled toggle at $237 is about $59 a position, against $84 for the 1-gang. Consolidating two adjacent 2-gang boxes into one 4-gang box, where the walls allow it, is the cheapest decision on the schedule, and it cannot be made after drywall.
Decide the finish before the quantities
Finish is the decision that cannot be revised quietly, and our catalog does not use one vocabulary for it. Electrical hardware carries eight finish names. The door hinges, read model by model, carry thirteen distinct finish names across six models, and only Matte Black appears in both lists. Cabinet hardware uses its own descriptive names again.
So a single finish word at the top of a hardware schedule does not resolve across electrical, door and cabinet categories. Either write the finish per category, or choose the finish that exists in all of them. The Finish Sample Set at $50 settles it with a client because it puts real metal under the project lighting, and our breakdown of all eight electrical finishes side by side covers what each one does over time.
Unlacquered on a job schedule needs a conversation first
Unlacquered Antique Brass has no protective lacquer, so it darkens and patinates unevenly from installation onward. Three facts matter more than the look: it is made to order, so the lead time is longer; it is not returnable; and no two units will ever match, by design. Specify it when the client has seen the patina and wants it, not to a client who expects every plate in the house to match in year three. Our piece on unlacquered brass switches and outlets is the one to forward before sign-off.
Dimming is where brass specifications fail
More trade questions reach us about dimming than anything else, and the answers are rules rather than preferences. One TRIAC dimmer per circuit: if a client wants dimming from two locations, the second position is a 3-way toggle, and our rotary dimmer range follows that convention throughout.
Connected load decides whether the circuit behaves. We treat roughly 20 watts as the floor to design against, because a single small LED fixture on its own dimmer is the classic flicker complaint. If the load must stay tiny, specify a toggle.
Low voltage is a separate world. The 0 to 10V rotary controller sends a control signal and never interrupts the 120V line, so it requires a separate switch for on and off, and it is not interchangeable with TRIAC. The 12 to 24V PWM knob sits on the low voltage side of a driver. Our explainer on 0 to 10V and PWM low voltage dimmers has the signal details.
A fan motor never goes on a lighting dimmer. Fan speed belongs on the brass fan speed control switch, a different device with a different rating.
And the standing rule we will not bend: we do not confirm compatibility with a third party driver, fixture or control system without written confirmation from that manufacturer. If your schedule depends on it, get the letter. Our installation and compatibility page is where the open questions get answered, and the rotary dimmer guide covers what these units will and will not dim.
Outlets, GFCI and the positions code decides for you
Outlet positions are rarely a design choice. GFCI requirements are set by NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, the list has grown with each cycle, and the edition your jurisdiction has adopted matters more than the edition you remember. The authority having jurisdiction has the final word.
On the hardware side the choice is narrow. The brass outlet range covers a duplex receptacle, a GFCI version, a USB-A plus USB-C module and a dual USB-C module. Specify the GFCI where code requires protection at the outlet, and remember that upstream protection is also compliant and often preferred. Device and faceplate dimensions here are governed by ANSI/NEMA WD 6, which is why a standard toggle aperture is the size it is.
What a real whole-house job looked like
One completed whole-house project came to 88 plates covering 154 gangs, totalling $13,815 at list: roughly $90 a gang across a mix of toggles, dimmers, outlets and plates in a single finish. Carry that into the allowance conversation at schematic design. Decorative electrical hardware on a whole house is a five figure line, and clients handle the number far better early than at ordering. The whole house breakdown shows how the count distributes room by room.
Price spares into the original order
Made to order means there is no shelf to pull from when a lever is damaged at trim out. Budget a few percent of positions, concentrated on your highest-count unit. The cheaper insurance is the module: a replacement module rebuilds the working part without replacing the brass, with the knurled toggle replacement at $39 to $49 and the rotary dimmer modules at $39 to $54.90, against $84 and up for a complete 1-gang unit. Our article on brass switch replacement modules explains which symptom a module actually fixes.
Mounting heights your client will notice
Switch heights are a design decision in a private residence and a compliance question everywhere else. Where accessibility requirements apply, operable parts fall under the reach range and operation provisions of the ADA Accessibility Standards, and a rotary knob that needs pinching is a different proposition from a toggle that works with a closed fist. Toggles are the easier specification wherever operation without tight grasping is required.
What we do not do, said plainly
A trade relationship works on the limits more than the promises. We do not make smart or wireless controls: our devices are conventionally wired 120V hardware with no app, hub or radio, so scene control is specified elsewhere and covered by a Decorator plate. We do not sell lighting fixtures, so we are not a single source for a lighting package. We do not claim certifications a product does not carry: the knurled toggles, dimmers and outlets are UL listed, while the Retro Toggle range carries a CE mark rather than a UL or ETL listing, and we flag that on every project where it is specified, because some jurisdictions and some insurers care. Listing marks are explained by UL Solutions, and the distinction matters before a European-marked device goes on a US permit drawing. And we do not promise a ship date we have not earned.
How to apply, and what happens next
Submit the trade program application with your business and the kind of project you work on. You get back your account terms, a named contact and an offer to quote whatever is on your board; attach drawings and skip a step. Questions go through contact, and about us explains who makes this hardware. The same account covers cabinet knobs and pulls, solid brass butt hinges and the rest of the door and cabinet hardware, which is where whole-house specifications end up anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Who qualifies for a trade account?
Interior designers, architects, contractors, builders, developers, kitchen and bath studios, cabinet makers, AV and lighting integrators, and licensed electrical contractors working on US residential or light commercial projects. A business name and the type of work you do are enough to apply.
What discount does the trade program give?
Pricing is tiered, with a better tier above a project value threshold, and the exact terms are confirmed in writing when your account opens. We do not publish the percentages because they are account specific.
Can you quote from my electrical plans?
Yes, and it is the service trade accounts use most. Send the electrical sheets or a lighting schedule and you get a box-by-box quote with the switching function noted per position.
Do I order the plate and the switch separately?
No. Our switches, dimmers and outlets are one-piece solid brass units. The only plate-only products are the Decorator and blank plates, which cover a device your electrician supplies.
How many screws does a multi-gang plate need?
Two per gang. A 1-gang takes two, a 3-gang six, a 5-gang ten. This catches people ordering screw packs by plate count.
Can I put two dimmers side by side in one box?
Not on the same circuit. One TRIAC dimmer controls a circuit, and a second control point on it is a 3-way toggle. Two dimmers in one box are fine only on two separate circuits.
Will your dimmers work with the LED drivers on my project?
We do not confirm compatibility with a third party driver or fixture without written confirmation from that manufacturer. Send the driver data sheet and we will tell you what we can verify and what needs the letter.
Is the Unlacquered finish returnable?
No. It is made to order, not returnable, and it patinates unevenly from installation onward, so it needs client sign-off before it reaches a schedule.
Do you make smart or app-controlled switches?
No. Everything we make is conventionally wired 120V hardware. Specify the control system separately and use a Decorator plate over the third party device.
Are your switches UL listed?
The knurled toggles, rotary dimmers and outlets are UL listed. The Retro Toggle range carries a CE mark rather than a UL or ETL listing, and we flag that wherever it is specified.
How do I handle spares on a large order?
Budget a few percent of positions, weighted toward your highest-count unit, and add modules rather than complete units. A module costs roughly half of a complete 1-gang switch.
Can you engrave plates for a project?
Yes. Engraving is handled through the configurator, and our guide to custom engraved brass switch plates covers the character limits and position rules before you commit a client to labelled switches.
Where to start
If a project is live, send the drawings. If it is still a mood board, order the sample set and settle the finish while that decision is cheap. Studio Timeless makes solid brass electrical and architectural hardware to order, in one finish across a whole house, and the trade program exists so the counting happens once and correctly. Start at the trade program application.
Last updated: October 5, 2026
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