A story about us

Spruce Knot Lab is a woodworking and custom furniture business located in Bloomington, Indiana. Dakotah Konicek (the woodworker) and his wife Stephanie (CFO) collaborate and run the business together. Over a decade in the making, the vision started in art school.

 

The son of a woodworker and school teacher, Dakotah Konicek enlisted into the United States Air Force immediately after graduating high school. It was here that Dakotah first envisioned his future of making. After serving he studied Fine Art with a focus in sculpture from the University of Wyoming and continued his studies at Carnegie Mellon University and graduated with a masters in sculpture. With a terminal degree he taught drawing and 3D design at Indiana University. In 2019 he left academia to pursue his passion of making and broke ground on the construction of a new studio/wood shop.

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Although a relatively new business owner, Dakotah holds over 15 years of design and woodworking experience. He has had the pleasure and privilege of bringing items into reality for a wide assortment of clients. As a professional maker he enjoys testing the limits of what materials can do, and remains fascinated by how everyday items can be created in unique ways.

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Dakotah believes the aim of every project is to craft well-designed works of art that are beautiful and functional. Above all, his passion for design and creation comes from the desire to bring incredible ideas to life. He makes every effort to select locally harvested wood products for each piece. 

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