A natural fit

When he’s scrolling on Instagram, Johnny Kelsey isn’t likely to be looking at cute dog videos. Instead, he’s admiring different types of wood. Kelsey — the owner of Septimber Roots, a custom carpentry and furniture business — is a self-affirmed wood geek.

He got his start in carpentry on construction sites, where he spent years learning the business from men who’d been doing it their whole lives. After he moved on to work as an office manager, woodworking became his hobby. Then, three years ago, the Tulsa native surprised his wife with a custom bench as a Christmas gift, and she insisted he needed to be creating furniture for a living. Thus, Septimber Roots was born.

“Large projects are my passion,” Kelsey says. “I make heirloom furniture. I don’t use screws. Instead, I hand-cut joints and fi t the pieces together like a puzzle.”

Kelsey’s signature is abstract, using the wood’s natural shape filled in with colorful or neutral epoxy.

“My style is symmetrical but chaotic and natural-looking, with continuous motion,” Kelsey says. “I do this as an expression of my art.”

Kelsey makes everything from charcuterie boards to coasters to conference room tables. A recent favorite project was a custom hood vent for a kitchen. He imported olive wood root pieces, then filled the space in-between with black epoxy, installing the final creation in his client’s kitchen.

He sources the wood for Septimber Roots from Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, California, and even as far as Turkey. Sometimes, when he’s at a sawmill, he’ll see a piece of wood that would be perfect for a client and text them a picture. Kelsey loves working collaboratively with his clients, allowing them to see the wood and grain patterns before the final placement in the piece.

“I’ve met some beautiful people with beautiful artistic visions,” Kelsey says. “My favorite part is building something that people will pass down to their children.”

Find Kelsey on Facebook and Instagram @septimberroots for more information.