John Timmer says a friend asked for his help to make a table, and it did not go well.
"It was a miserable experience,” he says.
However, Timmer found the process was intriguing, so he gave it another shot, this time designing and building coffee tables from 10 beer barrels sourced from Founders.
"The experiment worked," Timmer recalls.
With the success of his experiment, Timmer opened Bad Moon Studio in 2014 and began crafting a wide variety of products repurposed from beer barrels, including end tables, coffee tables, growler racks, and, most recently, lighting. He says his products are a fit for both home and business settings.
Timmer takes an unorthodox approach to his craft. "I do not draw out anything. I like to start building and let the piece come together as I build it,” he says. “No tape measures." He refers to his tools as old school and simple as he describes bending steel over logs to create the shapes he needs.
Bad Moon Studio is located in Jenison, Michigan and is open by appointment only.
"It's a working space, not a showroom," Timmer explains. He says he works on custom orders and has some inventory that can be viewed on his Facebook or Instagram pages. He also currently has a couple of his new lighting designs on display at Bridge Street Electric.
For contact information, you can visit their
Facebook page or
website, although Timmer says his primary marking platform is
Instagram.
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor
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