Wood River Studio Stuns With Sustainable Creations
If you want to win a bet, bet someone they can’t touch the furniture at Wood River Studio, for the tables, chairs and everything else at this Cape Canaveral showroom beg to be caressed.
Like many before her, Diana Gianturco happily fell under the sensual spell of the creations crafted by wood artists Len Kensey and Sean Kostelnik.
“Their studio is more like an art gallery than a furniture store,” she said. “It’s obvious that Len and Sean have a passion for more than woodworking.”
When Kensey and Kostelnik joined creative forces to launch Wood River in 2022, they had a goal to create heirloom-quality pieces that transcend time.
“It was a culmination of a lifetime of skills,” Kostelnik said. “We put a lot of attention and effort into our pieces. We build furniture and décor, but we are artists and designers first.”
Kensey, the “back-of-the-house man,” is a Renaissance man who has built houses, reconstructed cars and patented inventions for the oil and gas industry, among other endeavors. Kostelnik, who enjoys the front-of-the-house connections with customers, grew up traipsing through Ohio’s forests and tapping onto the skills he must have inherited from a long line of craftsmen. Not only are the two artists inspired in their design and meticulous in the execution of ideas, but they also are environmentally conscious.
“It is important for us to be considerate to the planet,” Kostelnik said.
The bulk of the premium hardwood that goes into Wood River Studio pieces is imported from Costa Rica, a country with impeccable ecological consciousness and sustainability practices.
“Costa Rica is one of the few countries with forest expansion, and we only purchase slabs from dead, dying or down trees in the country,” Kostelnik said.
Wood River also transforms locally salvaged driftwood, cleaning, milling and sanitizing the wood before the creative process commences. Kensey and Kostelnik also craft furniture out of local trees, primarily oak, rescued from the landfill through partnerships with tree removal companies.
Quality to last
When Benny Mingchai decided to renovate the interior of his Thai Thai III restaurant, he was looking for quality that would last, even under the duress of the constant use that is a day in a restaurant. Mingchai knew Kostelnik through a mutual friend, so the choice was easy.
“We received over 100 custom pieces from them and we love every piece,” Mingchai said.
CDS Builders president Christopher Simms, familiar with the work Wood River Studio did for Thai Thai III, contracted with the studio to furnish the company’s model home in Aripeka, a Viera luxury community that blends Florida’s natural treasures with luxury living. The job entails a dining set, executive desk and other furniture, a unique bedroom set and even live edge hardwood top for the summer kitchen.
The Thai Thai III order that so impressed Simms included 19 tables, 36 chairs,10 stools, custom wall art and more. While Diana Gianturco did not purchase quite as many pieces as Mingchai and Simms, she still added some significant visual punch to her home, and she is nowhere near done.
“I ended up with a kitchen island and a desk that I love working at, but Wood River is like an addiction,” she said. “I am planning on a desk chair and a bathroom countertop. Eventually, I want a new front door, too.”
Wood River Studio
7077 North Atlantic Ave. #7, Cape Canaveral
321-451-3839
woodriverstudio.com
Facebook: Wood River Studio
Instagram: @Wood.River.Studio
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