Kim is a third generation native of the Pacific Northwest who spent his childhood and

   young adulthood exploring Puget Sound beaches and climbing the Olympic and Cascade

   mountains. He started "fooling around" with wood as a young boy, building tree houses,

   rafts, and toy boats, and experimenting with landscape design in his parents' backyard.

   This youthful fascination with wood developed into a life-long passion.

   After receiving a B.A. in Architecture and Urban Planning, he followed his heart and

   began working with wood in earnest. Kim apprenticed with many skilled builders and

   craftsmen, but he takes special pride in his formative work with famed NW sculptor,

   Dudley Carter. Kim's building and furniture design has been greatly influenced by

   Native American, Shaker, and Japanese wood craft, and he has sought out masters of

   these traditions for guidance and inspiration. He has been especially moved by the          

   poetry of Gary Snyder, which has nourished the artistic and spiritual dimensions of his

   work.

   Kim's Northwest upbringing led him naturally to two important industries of the region,

   salmon fishing and timber. His desire to protect the environment led to studies in forest

   ecology and environmentally-responsible building practices. He began developing a small

   business that encompassed the entire journey of wood, from tree to lumber to finished

   product, committed to both the preservation of the environment and the well-being of

   people.

  Kim Hoelting
Founder and Owner of
Live Edge Woodworks
 Builder, Designer, Craftsman,
Lumberman