About Me
Aside from the official about page, I’ll share a bit more about myself. My name is Kevin Stelzer and I’m the owner/operator of Stelzer Studio, a one-man studio furniture shop currently located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I’m twenty-nine years old, have been married to my wife Audrey for nearly five years, and have two farm dogs; Walter and Henry. My wife and I enjoy backpacking in the mountains, being a part of our local church, and being outside as much as possible. Audrey is an enthusiastic lover of plants, gardener, wilderness guide, endurance athlete, talented functional potter, and a wonderful friend!. I have no formal training in furniture making but have slowly been growing my skills and craftsmanship over the years through whatever means I can.
My interest in woodworking first peaked back in 2008 as a sophomore in high school. Somehow I stumbled on some YouTube woodworking videos and it all seemed so satisfying and cool. I had no money, no understanding of tools, no way to mill, and didn’t let it go anywhere for quite some time. I graduated college in 2013 with a degree in biology and chemistry but ended up in the construction field as a summer job. After the first summer I felt a strong sense of fulfilment from working with my hands and decided to stay the course.
Over the years as a carpenter I’ve enjoyed learning new skills and techniques, growing a tool base and shop equipment, and figuring out how to run a small business. There have definitely been some hard stretches and some tough lessons learned, but it has all added up to bring me to where I am now, and I believe that it’s meant to be that way. After years of saving and trying to make a living self-employed, I was able to buy my first set basic set of milling tools, and more “officially” than not began my journey into the woodworking world.
My primary focus for quite a while was on power tools. They were a carpenter’s right-hand man so to speak and were invaluable resources to accomplish work efficiently. When I decided to buy my first handtools I didn’t realize how much that would shape the way I thought about and related to my work. They really paved the way to a more personable way of work, where grain direction and orientation stood out, and subtle textures or reliefs were more possible.
That’s where I find myself now; having a desire to put more emphasis on traditional, time-tested methods of joinery and design, while I develop my own creative voice with which to speak. I’m still working side by side with my brother as a custom finish carpenter in residential builds/remodels, but I want to let what I love about furniture have space in my work as well. I see furniture as where I’m more able to express my inward desires to create and build in a beautiful and authentic way. Handmade pieces lend themselves to a certain slowness that often goes against the tiring hustle and bustle of everyday life. That’s something that greatly pleases me, when time seems to disappear and you can get lost in the beauty of what could be all while enjoying what is.
-Kevin
