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Meet Tim & Tanja

Before Twist of Nature was a brand, we were just looking to build a home. As we began clearing land to build our first home on, Tim quickly figured out there was more to this forest, than just a home, there was opportunity and a love to create something with his own hands that he couldn't just pass up.

Tim was a firefighter for the City of St. Paul and I was working in a local law office. We didn’t have investors or a business plan. We had a cold Minnesota barn, a pile of pine logs, and this gut feeling that maybe… just maybe… people still wanted something real.

So, we built a Beautiful Large and Sturdy Log Swing, then another and another. Then came along the Big Beautiful Log Beds until one day, we decided to open a retail store for others to enjoy all the Amazing creations that kept coming out of Tim's head.

We made mistakes. We learned a lot. But the one thing we’ve never let go of is this:

If you build with soul, people will feel it.

We’re still out here doing it the hard way. Covered in sawdust, proud of every piece, and honestly, just grateful we get to keep doing this work.

Thanks for being here.

—Tanja
Co-founder, Twist of Nature

Wooden buildings with a cart in front on a clear day

The Beginning.......

Back in the late ’90s, We opened the retail store with 1,200 square feet and quickly grew to over 4,000 square feet in rural Minnesota.

That was nearly 30 years ago. We’ve been doing this a long time now. We sold the retail store in 2023, however we still live just down the road from that same store and now build and ship from their as well. We moved to online so we could concentrate on what we do best....Build that Lasting Heirloom for all to enjoy.

We still do things the slow way. The hard way. The real way. This work is personal for us. It always has been.

Two people posing in front of a large 'Stop & Shop' sign with 'Twist of Nature' branding.

It's Still Just Us.

We’ve grown a little since then. More sawdust, more team, better shipping, but the heart of this company hasn’t changed.

We’re not trying to be the biggest.
We’re trying to be the realest.

Because when someone spends their hard-earned money on one of our beds, it means something.

And we don’t take that lightly. Ever.

Our Favorite Milestones

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Bed made for Minnesota Twins Player, Joe Mauer back in 2008.
Owner, Tanja, standing inside the bed to show the size of how big this bed turned out to be. Fun times stocking up his cabin with Twist of Nature Furniture.
Man standing next to a wooden bed frame in a workshop.
This one made it all the way to Germany!
This awesome log bed had the distinct honor of going to Germany for an active duty Air Force member in 2018. We are very grateful for our active duty military and veterans!
Group of people posing on a wooden swing in front of a building.
Breast Friends Forever in 2013
Our swing donation brought in $1040.00 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk for Team "Breast Friends Forever"!!!!

If you’re still reading this, we read every customer name and we pack every order like it’s going to family. Because it is. (:


(P.S. leave us a note on your order! we love reading them. sometimes we even hang them up in the shop <3)

— Tanja

"Twist of Nature Pups" was created in memory of our first shop dog who watched this whole thing grow from a little barn to what it is today. We made a space just for pups like him. Because around here, every cabin needs their cabin dog.

Still with us? You’re our kind of people.

If you’ve made it this far, you probably care about how things are made and who makes them. We’d love to show you more of the process behind every Twist of Nature piece.
See How We Build It
Bring One Home