Foundwood and Wasted Wood–the story of two brands getting together and making a brand baby. Sharing a workshop. It was only a matter of time before they were making eyes at each other across the band-saw. Nine months later Monkey Pod, the love child, was born. Awkward turtle. In reality, when Foundwood and Wasted Wood tackle large scale projects together they become Monkey Pod.  If you haven’t guessed already, they specialize in creating gorgeous pieces from reclaimed wood in Hawaii. Hats off to you if you guessed the reclaimed bit!

All analogies aside, Island Vintage Coffee contracted Monkey Pod to build the furniture for their new business, Island Vintage Wine Bar. When the pieces were ready to be installed, Jenn Homcy (Foundwood) contacted me to shoot photos of the install and I wholeheartedly agreed.  

I have my go-to town parkings spots because parking in Waikiki has always been a stressful angst-ridden mess trying not to hit other cars or cream my roof rack on the garage ceiling. I aim to avoid these nightmares by distance over convenience. That aversion is what led me to park about a mile away from Island Vintage Wine Bar and run, backpack full of expensive camera gear, in a pell mell dash to get to the shoot location on time. Dodging, ducking, dipping, diving, and dodging again leaving baffled and confused tourists in my wake. 

After cleaning up my sweat puddle, I greeted the install team and got to work. Holy beautiful craftsmanship. The sense of camaraderie between the two companies could be felt and was displayed in all of the furniture. 

The star of the show was the bar. Turquoise was inlaid throughout the piece with a vertical portion against the wall. Not to be outdone, the tables and chairs looked too stunning to use (but they were equal parts attractive and comfortable #winnning). Between jokes about the shapes that some of the inlays made and watching the bar come to life, the day flew by. Monkey Pod’s wood creations were exactly the right amount of “extra” to make Island Vintage’s Wine Bar atmosphere that much more memorable. 

Friends Don’t Let Friends Funk Alone!

Dear Reader, that catchy closing line is under construction as it sounds not subtly politically incorrect or it may endure the test of time, stay tuned, dun dun dun!