Wendy Starr 
Interior Designer 
Westwood Cabinetry 
& Millwork

Wendy Starr of Columbus, Ohio takes an interesting approach to her art that encompasses several passions of hers and blends them to create a masterpiece. As an interior designer, Wendy works side-by-side with her husband running their company, Westwood Cabinetry & Millwork. There they specialize in fine woodworking and custom cabinet making. The wood scraps, also called “drops”, are what is left behind from their creations, and have always inspired Wendy.

With the idea of recycling and reusing these materials, Wendy began creating contemporary wood compositions. Recycling the wood not only adds uniqueness and character to each piece, but it also helps the environment and provides her with an artistic release.

I enjoy using drops to create my art because of the incredible evolution that happens each time I craft a piece. I may have an idea in mind, but that could completely change once I see the wood I will be working with. There is no telling what type of scrap wood I will come across. This keeps my creations fresh and unpredictable,” said Starr.

When asked to create a chair for MTS Seating’s The Art of MTS project, Wendy immediately gravitated towards a chair with a wood seat and back. Block structures are her favorite to work with, so she nailed together square and block drops resulting in an 8-ft-high structure mounted to the back of the chair. “I wanted to create a throne, something to represent the power of extracting and reusing materials from waste. I call this piece, Recycled Chair of State.”