Swooning Over Rocky Mountain Hardware

There's a lot to love about Rocky Mountain Hardware (RMH). To begin, their products are beautiful. Designers demand gorgeousness and hardware doesn't come much better looking than this. Sustainably responsible designers also demand a level of environmental commitment and achievement that RMH delivers. In fact, their story just about swept me off my green feet.

Their goal: "to create the highest quality product without compromising the welfare of future generations," and to minimize the environmental impact of every product at every stage of its production.

Too many companies make statements like that but don't come close to delivering. This one does.

Headquartered in Hailey, Idaho in a LEED Gold certified building, RMH makes door and cabinet hardware, accessories, sinks, faucets and lighting out of bronze because they like its beauty and its rich character that adapts to whatever environment it's in. They source the bronze from various U.S. manufacturers--every bit of which is recycled--which they then re-melt into liquid form to be poured into molds. The 90-percent recycled content of their products is certified by SCS, 50 percent post consumer. Sand used in the manufacturing process is reconditioned and reused. Wax molds are made from spent wax obtained from the aerospace industry and then melted and reused. Dust collectors capture bronze chips from the grinding process and recycle it. Water is re-circulated. The process is virtually waste free.

Two top designers have recently introduced collections for RMH. San Francisco-based Ted Boerner's line includes 27 new pieces in a range of sculptural looks that captures his honest approach to materials. Boerner's shared environmental sensibilities were a natural fit for RMH. "At the core of this company, there is this great respect for the family, the people who work here, the process and for the environment," Boerner says. "This sense of place is very important. That is what I am aware of when designing for Rocky Mountain Hardware."

Renowned hospitality designer Roger Thomas presents his Paris Collection with 11 pieces that "reimagine historical styles of 17th and 18th century France with a sense of whimsy, romance and decorative flair." Thomas' affiliation with RHM stems from its signature handcrafted sensibility. "You can tell when something is made by hand," he says. "Every time I touch a piece of Rocky Mountain Hardware, I'm holding hands with every artisan who ever touched the object."

I'm seriously swooning.