small wooden boxes.

Mostly Boxes is a small woodworking studio focused on keepsake and other small boxes. The work explores proportion, contrast, and detail through form, material, and surface.

Two wooden boxes with light banding
Selected work (one example). Most pieces are one-offs or short runs.

Touch

The boxes are made to be handled—to be opened, closed, and held. Attention is given to edges, weight, and surface, and to how the piece feels when handled.

Most pieces are one-offs or short runs. Repetition, when it happens, is deliberate.

A hand holding a small wooden box, showing scale and how it rests in the palm.
In hand (scale & feel).

The Work

The studio primarily makes small wooden boxes for daily use and keeping. Forms are revisited and adjusted over time. Materials and techniques are chosen in response to the idea at hand, with consideration for both appearance and feel.

Finished pieces tend toward restraint rather than ornament, with attention paid to edges, joints, and quiet tactile details.

Two similar boxes side by side, showing variation in wood and detail.
A small run (variation within a form).
An open wooden box showing the interior.
Interior (care beyond the exterior).
Close-up of a box edge and lid seam showing fit and surface.
Edge / seam.
Close-up of a wooden hinge detail.
Hinge detail.

Color

Color appears occasionally in the work, but it’s never applied.

When it shows up, it comes from material choices—natural contrast between woods, or from inlay that’s meant to be felt as much as seen. The goal isn’t ornament, but emphasis: a way to shift balance, draw the hand, or change how a surface is read.

Even in these pieces, the underlying form stays restrained. Color is allowed to speak only where the structure can support it.

A walnut box with an inlaid sun motif, using natural wood contrast for color.
Color as material (inlay, not applied pigment).

Approach

Mostly Boxes is guided by:

  • Careful making
  • Measured iteration
  • Attention to proportion and touch

The focus is not on output, but on arriving at a piece that feels resolved—both visually and physically.


Availability

Work is made independently of sales. Occasionally, small groups of finished pieces are offered through local craft fairs or limited releases. There is no standing inventory.

Contact

Maker Tim Connell
Location Madison, Wisconsin
Instagram @mostlyboxes

If you’re looking for a particular piece or future availability, email is the best way to reach out.