ABOUT

“To engage in any craft is to submit oneself to the constant assault on one’s ego and understanding.”

A construction worker wearing a hat, sunglasses, and black clothing is standing on a wooden structure, using a strap to secure a large wooden beam. Above, a blue crane with a metal fork is lifting a strap.

CHRIS WESLOSKY / SHELTER + FORM

Chris Weslosky is a designer, furniture maker, and residential builder located in Helena, Montana. After studying architectural design in high school in New Jersey, he landed in Vermont where his love of craft and the natural world came to be. He received his undergraduate degree in Renewable Energy and Ecological Design in 2010, and has continued many educational pursuits in craft since.

Chris has worked in all facets of the design and construction industry from leading crews in residential construction and remodels, to project managing large scale commercial furniture and millwork projects. After traveling the country working for various building companies over the years, he set up shop in Montana with the goal to share his passion of craft with others by creating spaces and objects of permanence that cultivate connection.

A man wearing a gray cap, white t-shirt, and glasses works on a wooden structure on a sunny day, using a hammer to secure a plank of wood.

SHELTER and FORM is a design-build studio founded in 2022 as a broad reaching creative pursuit for Chris Weslosky. With equal interest in architectural spaces and the shapes inside them that direct the inhabitant; its aim is to create comfortable spaces and furniture for people to be present and intentional with over time.

We specialize in custom carpentry, fine furniture, and small timber frames with a heavy lean on traditional Japanese tools and techniques. It is in a reverence for wood that we do this work in order to create harmony with the natural world. With this emphasis, our materials are sourced using sustainable practices, while the finishes used are natural or contain very low VOC.