THE LIFE BEHIND THE WORK
Our Story
Dear Juniper is the work of Christina + Mark Kwasniewski, who have built this shop alongside a shared life and family. Since 2012, we have gathered objects that bring beauty, usefulness and a sense of connection into the everyday. The work has changed shape over the years, but its center has remained the same: a belief that what we choose to live with matters, and that the ordinary rituals of home can become a way of tending to ourselves, one another and the living world around us.
ALL THAT GROWS IN THE TENDING
where hands + heart meet
dear juniper's genesis story began - -
with a life shared, encompassing
all that has been held, shaped,
and carried by a communion
of two souls.
one drawn to form - -
to the delicate precision of making,
to the way materials respond, yield,
and honor the imprint of
the very hands that shape them.
the other drawn to feeling - -
to language, to rhythm,
to the poetry of simple things,
to the gathering of meaning,
and the nurturing of connection.
and between them - -
a way of creating emerged -
one shaped not only by human hands,
but by presence, devotion,
and a deep reverence for
the beauty found in everyday life.
from this, DEAR JUNIPER was born - -
a living expression of all that can
grow when we tend to something
slowly, attentively - holding space
for all that it may become.
DEAR JUNIPER.
there are places where
the world feels more gentle.
where light lingers a little longer,
where the air carries the scent
of leaves and earth,
places where shadow and warmth
meet across a surface,
where time reveals itself
through texture and touch,
here, what is made is held.
what is gathered
is chosen with care.
xxx
ever yours
WHERE THIS WORK COMES FROM
GUIDED BY CARE, SHAPED BY RELATIONSHIP
Dear Juniper is formed through relationship - to the natural world, to the hands behind each object and to the place we call home. These are not simply values we name, but commitments we return to in the daily work of choosing what we share and how we share it.
WHAT GUIDES US
We share objects with intention, honoring the materials, makers, places, and traditions behind them
We aspire to live in reciprocity with the natural world, making choices that support shared health, balance, and continuity. We hold space for beauty as a source of meaning, presence, and quiet nourishment. We believe in staying open and reverent - to people, to perspectives, and to ways of living beyond our own.
Everything we gather is chosen with care, in the hope of supporting a more connected, considered, and intentional way of living.
THE HANDS BEHIND THE WORK
We are drawn to objects that bear the trace of their making. Many of the pieces we share come from independent artists, small workshops, and heritage makers whose work reflects skill, patience, and a deep relationship with material.
Behind every object is a person, a place, and knowledge shaped over time. We seek out work made with intention - pieces meant to be lived with, used often, and carried forward.
In sharing their work, we hope to honor not only the finished object, but the hands, stories, and traditions that brought it into being.
THE PLACE WE INHABIT
Dear Juniper is rooted in Winona, Minnesota, among the bluffs of the Driftless Region along the Mississippi River.
We acknowledge that this place carries histories far deeper than our own, including those of the Dakota, Ho-Chunk, Sauk, and Meskwaki peoples. We hold that awareness with humility, and as an invitation to keep learning, listening, and moving with greater reciprocity.
Our work unfolds inside a 140-year-old stained glass factory, shaped by generations of makers before us. Its worn surfaces and shifting colored light remind us daily that our work is not separate from this place, but gently formed by it.
Mindfully Curated
Thoughtfully chosen, with care for materials, process, people, and place.
Heirloom Quality
Pieces made to be used often, cherished deeply, and passed along.
Heritage Craft
Time-honored skills, kept alive by artisans and carried forward by hand.
Natural + Enduring
Natural materials and lasting forms that grow richer through everyday use.