Born in Chicago, Lake + Wells Studio brings stories to life in artisan-made furniture, lighting, and objects. Marrying age-old, living materials and hand-crafted methodologies with modern elements and technology, the husband-and-wife studio’s principle desire is to discerningly bring forth fresh, evocative designs in timeless form.

The storied pieces of Lake + Wells are forged from the harmonious dichotomy of husband-and-wife founders, Mark Kinsley and Tamera Leigh Staten.

Founded in 2010 by Mark, son of a Midwest tool-and-die maker, Lake + Wells was premised on utilizing master artisan resources to create timeless and innovative products.

In the midst of growing this new company and daylighting as a lighting designer for luxury brand, Holly Hunt, Mark met Tamera Leigh Staten. She had just returned from England, completing her graduate studies in Children’s Literature, and was working as a graphic designer and an apprentice in antique lighting restoration.

Their meeting sparked what turned into a marriage of both life and work as they discovered their creativity expanded exponentially in collaboration with one another. Mark's technical artistry, engineering skills, and focus on functionality pairs uniquely with the dark, creative whimsy of Tamera’s visual storytelling and aesthetic vision.