Mark Jupiter always knew he was a creator, and in his youth he embraced different forms of expression. He eventually felt a deep pull to design and built his first house, with care in every element. “I felt that it was something I needed to do at least once in my life,” Jupiter says. “From raising a massive Gambrel timber frame to constructing the first LEED Platinum homes in the country, it became clear that the crossroads of craft and invention was where I was meant to be.”
The path to success wasn’t an easy one for Jupiter. After both of his parents passed away, and experiencing the collapse of his housing company during the financial crisis of 2008, Jupiter was at a loss. He credits his wife with providing support and giving him the courage to reinvent himself. Her belief in his talents inspired him to go back to the basics and start making furniture, a world he knew well.
Mark Jupiter \ Photo: Michael Biondo
Jupiter’s father was a furniture maker, and he learned the tricks of the trade from him, pitching in and doing a little bit of everything, from lifting materials to sanding wood. It all came naturally to him, and so this native New Yorker decided to move back to the city from upstate and start his own business. He found the perfect space in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood, and in 2013 opened his eponymous studio with a dozen pieces, which he describes as “the functional jewelry of any room.”
The operation has grown from a modest one-man shop to a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and showroom. At a time when craft-based businesses are continually being pushed out of high-end areas of the city, the workshop is more than a place where furniture is made – it’s a space for the community to come together to connect and inspire one another.
Jupiter loves to collaborate with people, and nothing fuels him more than when he is alongside others who are inspired, especially team members. “Though it’s my name on the door, the truth is that none of it happens without the incredibly talented people I get to work with every day,” he notes. “This crew brings relentless skill, passion, and precision to everything we create.”
Today, Mark Jupiter joins us for Friday Five!
Photo: Mark Jupiter
1. My Wife’s Pottery
I don’t watch her make it – I just see what she brings home, and every time I’m blown away. Her pottery has this quiet power to it. There’s nothing showy, just form, texture, and restraint. It reminds me that great work doesn’t need to announce itself – it simply belongs. Her pieces inhabit our space and shape how I think about presence and utility.
Photo: Mark Jupiter
2. Chopping Wood
I love the clean rhythm of chopping wood. It’s one of the few acts left that connects you directly to consequence – swing, crack, split. The weight of the axe, the resistance of the grain, the satisfaction of stacking something you’ve shaped with your own hands. It’s design in its most primitive form.
Photo: Josh Wong
3. My Daughter’s Poetry and Singing
My daughter writes and sings with an honesty I can’t touch. Watching her grow into her own creative voice reminds me of what it means to express something without pretense. She proves that beauty doesn’t need polish – it needs truth. Her creativity brings me back to the core of why I build anything at all.
Photo: Mark Jupiter
4. Watching a Great Artist Work
There’s a sacredness to watching someone who’s mastered their craft. Whether it’s a painter, a chef, or a sculptor – that zone they enter is electric. One of the most powerful examples was working with the artist Craig Anthony Miller – CAM – who created a commissioned mural for my new DUMBO showroom. He painted it right in my shop, and I had the privilege of watching him work every day. The decisions, the energy, the confidence – it was all a kind of a moving meditation.
Photo: Mark Jupiter
5. Goats
And then there’s this one – me and a goat, sharing a moment. I’ve always had a deep love for goats… really, most farm animals. Not in a Deliverance kind of way – just in a grounded, soul-level kind of way. Goats especially. You give them a little kiss, feed them some grain, and the next minute they’ll surprise you with a good-natured head butt when you least expect it. It’s their honesty I love – no pretense. Although I was born and raised in New York City, I’ve always felt a real connection to the mountains and farm country of upstate New York. There’s something about that life that stays with you, even when you’re back in the city, covered in sawdust.
Works by Mark Jupiter:
Photo: Mark Jupiter
Mark Jupiter DUMBO Showroom
When I first started the company, I wanted to reimagine how people experience custom furniture. It wasn’t enough to just have a great shop – I knew I needed a showroom that felt equally considered. That’s why I built them side by side. Clients can walk in and see the finished pieces in a curated environment, then step through the doors and watch those same pieces being crafted by hand. It’s a full-circle experience – one that honors both the artistry of the object and the integrity of the process behind it.
Photo: Courtesy of KITH
KITH’s Women’s exclusive flagship store in Soho
The KITH Women’s flagship store in SoHo is one of the latest chapters in an ongoing collaboration with KITH and its founder, Ronnie Feig. It all started with the Daisy Coffee Table, a piece I designed and named after my daughter. From that single gesture grew a multi-year, now global partnership, bringing the essence of that same design into KITH spaces worldwide. It’s a rare thing when a personal story becomes part of a larger cultural one, and I’m grateful to be building that story together.
Photo: Mark Jupiter
The Jacqueline Desk
This is the Jacqueline Desk. Its quiet elegance and underlying complexity are what I’m most proud of. It’s a form I’ve adapted over time into desks, dining tables, and custom pieces in all shapes, sizes, and finishes. Like many of my designs, it’s named after someone I love and admire. This one is especially close to my heart. It’s named after my sister Amy Jacqueline Jupiter – a brilliant woman who, like the piece itself, is both elegant and beautifully complex.
Photo: Mark Jupiter
The Gabriel Credenza
The Gabriel Credenza is a unique piece originally designed for a client inspired by the slow, hypnotic movement of his lava lamp. That’s where the curves and organic flow originate. Equally meaningful is the name. I named it after Gabriel Davis, the craftsperson who brought it to life. Gabriel has been a part of my studio for nearly eight years, and he’s one of the most gifted furniture makers I’ve ever known. The man is a genius with a table saw, and this piece carries both his precision and his spirit.
Photo: Courtesy of KITH
Collaboration with KITH and Bose
I was asked by KITH and Bose to reimagine the classic 901 Speaker for its 60th anniversary. Working with Ronnie Feig and the engineers at Bose – individuals at the top of their creative game – was both a privilege and a creative high point. The exchange of ideas, the trust, and the shared pursuit of excellence – that’s the kind of collaboration I live for.
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