Example of the designer woodworking made and sold by Iron Roots. Courtesy photo
By Rosie Piga Pizzo
The Iron Roots Designs began as an escape from an internship and a desire for self-expression.
Phillip Stone, founder and owner of The Iron Roots Designs, remembers having a panic attack when interning in human resources while attending the University of North Georgia, finding the office work “so boring.”
What he did find appealing was “a blank slate” of a dormitory room waiting for him in the fall. He purchased tools off Craig’s List and materials from Home Depot and built a dresser and a few lamps. “I’d go to this internship during the day and build at night,” he says.
He started an Etsy store and by the time he finished his degree in business administration, he concluded that “there wasn’t anything I liked more than woodworking.”
Eleven years into his woodworking design company, Stone landed in Bloomington in 2024 after stops in Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco. He moved here with his wife, Taylor, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in central Aurasian studies at Indiana University, Stone, 31, says “I’ve been thriving since I got here.” He explains how the overhead is less, and he can put more money into marketing and staff, recently hiring lead builder Jason Moore, and woodworking apprentice Eddie Jara.
No matter his location, Stone stays true to his mission of craftsmanship, service, and sustainability. He only works with black walnut, white oak, and white maple hardwoods, sourced from Frank Miller Lumber in Union City, Indiana. “I’m like a chef,” Stone says. “I’m nothing without my ingredients. I tell them what I need, and they’ll drive it down.
”His products are influenced by Japandi, a style that combines Japanese and Scandinavian design. “They are the two kings of minimalist design,” Stone says. “The curved edges are visually comforting, and even the furniture influenced by Brutalism with the sharper edges are softened by the wood’s colors.”
His products can be found in 24 countries, with 85% of his orders coming from people’s homes. He has also crafted tables for The Happy Crane restaurant in San Francisco and benches for Sézane luxury clothing stores in six U.S. cities. He donates leftover wood to local wood turners, and sawdust to local farmers for compost.
Visit The Iron Roots Designs at the Bloomington Handmade Market November 8–9, or theironrootsdesigns.com.
