As the creative director at Milwaukee-based Boelter + Lincoln, Michael Stodola likes to create and design projects. But his love for creating extends well beyond his professional life and is showcased in his woodworking and furniture-making pastime.
“I’ve always appreciated the tangible creation,” Stodola said. “So much of what I do in my professional life is creative, but it’s really a creative extension and a creative representation of a brand. There is something deeply satisfying in creating something tangible that is truly my own expression.”
For nearly a year, Stodola has been creating furniture, mostly tables, out of recycled wood and other material.
“About 90 percent of the pieces I make are recycled materials,” he said. “I use scrap wood from a friend who’s a cabinet maker, but I also use pieces from rental properties I own, old doors, and wood from items people have left on the curb.”
Stodola’s inspiration for his hobby came from Srapile, a company founded by two men in New York that creates tables and other furniture from recycled material.
The tables are sturdy, eclectic and beautiful, he said. He has added advertisements and clippings from a collection of vintage Hot Rod Magazines which is fitting with the expression of his professional life.
Stodola has a few pieces available for viewing on his website: www.milwaukeemodern.com, he is working on some custom designed projects and hopes to eventually make the tables for sale.
“For me, I just need to be making something,” Stodola said. “It is just the type of person I am. When I’m in my basement studio working on a project I’m completely fulfilled and I could be down there for days I feel. It has something to do with creating stability within the world and within my own life. It’s deeply satisfying.”
Right now, Stodola is only doing tables but he has created some designs for chairs and other furniture that he hopes to produce down the road.
