Photography: Islyn Studio

A rich part of Albuquerque city’s history, between the late 1800s and early 1900s the location of Sawmill Market was once a bustling epicenter for industry along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad; first as agricultural land, then owned by the American Lumber Company, the largest lumber company in the Southwest. Today, the space has been reimagined and remodeled into Albuquerque’s first artisanal food hall.

Sawmill Market is a contemporary interpretation of unsung New Mexico. Designers Islyn Studio have drawn from the rich cultural heritage of the area - think electric pink sunsets, bleached white cow skulls, and otherworldly landscapes - channelling this into the industrial yet modern design. The large 34,000-square foot space is cleverly divided into intimate pockets housing numerous restaurants, bars, farm-to-table pantries, test kitchens and pop-up shops.

Paxton’s, a tap room, nods to the heritage woodworking with open-shelving, wood peg boards, stacked lumber and hand-painted signage — a playful, irreverent twist on the former lumberyard. It is here that four of our 1950s Eastern Bloc machinist lights have been installed against the back feature wall - angled to illuminate the display below whilst complementing the metallic detailing of the taps elsewhere in the space.