A Tour of Hammerton in Salt Lake City

I’m a fan of Hammerton, the custom lighting designer and manufacturer in Salt Lake City—so I jumped at the chance to tour the facility during a recent trip. The company began in 1995, in a garage, when two young men launched their new business. One of those men, Levi Wilson, had grown up in his father’s ornamental iron fabrication shop and was experienced in metal craft.

Timing was on their side as Park City’s second-home market was exploding and word of their beautiful fixtures spread. Today, the company has grown to a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.

Hammerton works by “the 10-inch rule”—each piece needs to withstand a visual inspection less than a foot away. The company’s dedication to quality is uncompromised; it employs a team of three quality-control managers full-time. They are responsible for inspecting each product at various stages of the production process (out of metal fabrication, out of paint, out of finish) before items are shipped from the warehouse. 

I wanted to see how Hammerton combines Old World artisan techniques with modern design and manufacturing, so owner Nancy Shott kindly showed me around. Each department was fascinating, from fabrication to painting, but the showstopper was the glass-blowing department.