Mark Jupiter is a third generation, Brooklyn-based craftsman with an eye for the essence of what a piece of reclaimed wood might be.

He works with yellow pine, white oak, red oak, redwood salvaged from water towers and even a rare 400-lb. chunk of elm.

“It didn’t look like much until I carved it up and got it to look like I wanted,” he says.

He’s got a style that’s a mash-up of Mission, Shaker, Japanese, Modern and Craftsman – a little bit of everything, he likes to say.

He got his start as a carpenter, focusing on green, pre-fabricated homes.  When clients started requesting furniture for their homes, he began a transition of working strictly with functional, one-of-a-kind pieces.

“It’s incredibly well made and sturdy stuff,” he says.  “The idea is to have it be beautiful, that people like it, and that it lasts forever.  I want to create something that has a purpose, and that people get great joy from it.”

He finds his inspiration in the wood itself, sanding down an aged top coat, discovering the grain and letting the piece evolve.  Its patterns are defined by the raw material that he unlocks from within.

The challenges come from the nature of his work.  He’s not one to sit behind a desk, looking at a computer all day.  Far from it.  “It’s hard work, throwing around 100-lb. beams,” he says.  “There’s a day-to-day grind to combine craftsmanship with production, and fulfill orders in a timely manner.”

Prices range from $750 for a small side table to $5,000 for a larger piece.”

“I want to make this accessible,” he says.  “It’s a dynamic design with a historic storyboard for the wood.”

And a good look, too.

For more information, go to http://markjupiter.com/

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