A Bespoke and Innovative Hardware Family Business Continues to Inspire the Mountain West

From door knobs and escutcheons to faucets, sinks, cabinet handles and hinges, Rocky Mountain Hardware handcrafts elegant, functional details that tie a home together. | Photo: Courtesy Rocky Mountain Hardware

Rocky Mountain Hardware is a classic story of an American family’s hard work and ingenuity. Mark and Patsy Nickum founded it in the early 1990s as a window and door company supplying Sun Valley, Idaho; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and some Montana markets. When Julie Wrigley, heir to the Wrigley chewing gum fortune, requested custom hardware they weren’t equipped to produce, they took on the challenge, enlisting the help of a nearby art foundry to get the job done. “We’ve always had a never-say-no attitude,” says the Nickums’ son (and CEO) Christian. “That’s how our first door knobs were born.” Those early pieces were rustic products prioritizing functionality over beauty.

“Back then, the architectural flavors of the area leaned towards log cabins and massive lodges,” says Christian Nickum. “Over the last 15 or so years, more modern aesthetics have become prevalent. We’ve adapted to fit any style, whether it’s extremely contemporary or more traditional.” But Rocky Mountain Hardware remains true to the essence of that initial project: skilled craftspeople sharing a spirit of open collaboration and problem-solving, committed to producing versatile and beautiful Western hardware.

The Detour toilet paper holder, Dilemma cabinet pull, Pivot cabinet knob and Rendezvous catch pull: kitchen and bath hardware within Rocky Mountain Hardware’s Phases collection, a collaboration with Suede Studio. | Photo: Courtesy Rocky Mountain Hardware

Today, the company has three manufacturing locations, a showroom in Sun Valley, about 350 distributors around the globe, and 150 employees. Clients range from private individuals building custom family homes to high-profile businesses like hotels. “Within our standard offering, there’s a lot of customization available,” says Nickum. “For door hardware frames, people can choose between 26 different architectural styles, match them with 100-120 different lever or knob choices, and choose any one of 12 finishes.”

The personalization doesn’t stop there. “We love the opportunity to work on unique designs or develop brand new finishes,” says Nickum. “We get calls like that every day. We’ll take the idea and do up all sorts of drawings and shop models and communicate that back and forth with the client until they’re happy.” For example, the Church of the Latter Day Saints relied on Rocky Mountain Hardware during the ongoing renovation of the landmark temple in Salt Lake City. The temple, which was constructed in the mid-1800s, needed accurate re-creations of 150-year-old brass alloy decorative elements. The project included more than 700 different doors, as well as lighting fixtures, cabinet hardware and handrail brackets, many of which feature hand-carved details.

The Rendezvous catch pulls from the Phases collection are both graceful and practical. | Photo: Courtesy Rocky Mountain Hardware

Outside of custom client work, the company is continually expanding its standard product line with creative collaborations with designers, architects and contractors. A recent series with Jennifer Hoey’s Suede Studio is one such collaboration. Hoey has been honing a unique vision within the Mountain Modern aesthetic for two decades. Her keen eye for contemporary lines and sleek comfort pairs perfectly with Rocky Mountain Hardware’s fabrication processes and spirit of innovation. The resulting collection of bath and cabinet accessories—the Phases line—is an elegant marriage of function and form. o This bathroom features the distinctive, tilted Pivot cabinet knob from the Phases collection in a more polished, contemporary bronze finish, offering a modern feel that still honors the material’s warmth and texture.

Principal of Suede Studio Jennifer Hoey collaborated with Rocky Mountain Hardware on the Phases line. | Photo: Courtesy Rocky Mountain Hardware

The exterior Kinked robe hooks from the Phases collection are an example of details that often go overlooked but are essential to the comfort of any lived-in space. | Photo: Courtesy Rocky Mountain Hardware

This bathroom features the distinctive, tilted Pivot cabinet knob from the Phases collection in a more polished, contemporary bronze finish, offering a modern feel that still honors the material’s warmth and texture. | Photo: Courtesy Rocky Mountain Hardware

HARDWARE – Rocky Mountain Hardware