Meet Audi Culver and Ivy Siosi of Bloomington

Today we’d like to introduce you to Audi Culver and Ivy Siosi of SIOSI Design.

Hi Audi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Audi – Ivy and I fell in love in 2010 while I was in graduate school in Indiana, and Ivy was finishing up a degree in classic car restoration in North Carolina. We fell hard and fast, and six months later, I talked Ivy into moving to Indiana. When I finished up an MFA in photography, my trajectory became clearer – I didn’t want a boss ever again, I wanted to combine art with making a living, and I wanted to collaborate with the most talented person I knew, Ivy. We rented a space in a warehouse for $300 per month, bought a few basic tools, and started making furniture. This was a time of experimentation, learning, and a full-time commitment to woodworking and design. Now 10 years later, we have a thriving business that combines life, work, and art. We live 400 ft from our studio on 56 acres of land, and rip around on dirt bikes when we need a break. Our work focuses on the details above all else, we don’t keep track of our hours, and feel lucky every day – even those days that are exhausting and dirty.

Ivy – That sums it up pretty well–together, we made the frames for Audi’s MFA exhibition. The frames were made out of sassafras, which greatly contributed to our fondness for woodworking and working together. Sassafras is the most delicious smelling and still one of my very favorite woods to work.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Audi – Oof. Starting a business as two queer women in a male-dominated industry has not always been easy. We were underestimated and underpaid in our early years and even got some hate mail. Respect comes more slowly for two tiny women in the furniture business, but we’ve earned it. Word of mouth and Instagram get us the majority of our commissions. It doesn’t hurt that we’ve written for Fine Woodworking Magazine, were profiled in Joinery, Joist and Gender: A History of Woodworking for the 21st Century, taught at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and have been featured in Remodelista and Lonny Magazine (with more to come). And the vast majority of the feedback we get is positive and encouraging. How we document our work and represent ourselves on Instagram has been a valuable way for people to see who we are and what we do.

Ivy – The road is still bumpy in spots. It’s a terrible business model–insane overhead costs and maintenance, the pay is lousy, and working conditions are loud and dirty. Every day is a hustle testing our resilliancy. Thank goodness we were young and naive enough to get it going when we did. Worth it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Audi – Our design focuses on clean lines, function, and simple silhouettes; the art is in the details. We’re best known for our slab tables – hand-chiseled inlay work and mid-century modern inspired bases make our dining and conference tables timeless, functional sculptures—form, function, and art. We also make hand-carved front doors and three-legged stools, and we have a kitchen island design that combines steel with ambrosia maple. Ivy does all our welding in-house, and all wood is sustainably sourced. Every detail is carefully considered and crafted by two women who live in the middle of the woods in southern Indiana.

Ivy – Audi takes beautiful photos of our work and our life. Audi’s photography sets us apart from the crowd in a world and culture seemingly powered by the constant onslaught of images. We wouldn’t have 1/2 the success we do without that representation.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Audi – COVID confirmed that I chose the right career path and way of life. Ivy and I have our shop on our land and have been able to produce work and make art, despite the virus. We had our bubble of trusted friends and family and could see my parents and sisters. It certainly hasn’t been easy, but it turns out that buying a chunk of land a month before the virus hit the US was the best thing we could’ve done.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.siosidesign.com
• Instagram: siosidesign
• Facebook: Siosi Design and Build
• Youtube: SIOSI Design

Image Credits
All photographs are by Audi Culver, except the interior image of the kitchen island, that one is by Lisa Goode, and she has given permission to use the image.