An Evening of Conversation: The Discipline of Intuition

This past Saturday, Keita and Gallery 945 hosted an artist talk and panel discussion centered around making, material, and the evolving role of design. Friends, colleagues, collectors, designers, and members of the creative community gathered.

From right: Gerrard O’Brien, Todd Erlandson, Chris Peck, David Thompson

Photography: Etienne Laurent

Throughout the evening, the conversation moved fluidly across subjects including architectural history, childhood influences, purity of concept, collaborative practice, digital fabrication, and design education. What emerged was not a singular definition of design, but rather a shared understanding of making as a deeply human act: Shaped equally by study, instinct, limitation, and imagination.

The panel also reflected on the growing tension between technology and tactility within contemporary creative practice. While digital tools continue to reshape the possibilities of fabrication and production, the discussion repeatedly returned to the value of material intimacy: the knowledge that comes from touch, observation, patience, and direct engagement with the physical world.

The discussion brought together an incredible group of panelists and contributors whose perspectives expanded the conversation beyond the objects themselves and into the larger cultural, philosophical, and human questions that surround design practice today.

At the heart of the exhibition is an exploration of the relationship between material, craft, and the human spirit. The work begins with urban harvested lumber sourced from across Los Angeles — materials that have already lived a life and carry within them traces of time, place, and memory. Through a process rooted in both discipline and intuition, these materials are transformed into pieces that exist somewhere between sculpture and furniture.

More than anything, the evening reinforced the importance of dialogue and community. We are deeply grateful to everyone who attended, contributed questions, and shared in the experience. Special thanks to our moderator Gerard O’Brien (The Landing Gallery), and panelists Todd Erlandson (March Studio) and David Thompson (Assembledge) for their generosity, insight, and thoughtful reflections.

Panel discussion May 2026

Photography: Etienne Laurent

The exhibition remains on view at Gallery 945, with all works available for acquisition through the gallery. Private appointments are available upon request.

Keita in the LA Times

We’re excited to share that Keita has been published in the LA Times! The Article breaks down the origins of Keita Design, and tells the story of Chris’s vision for this branch of urban ecology in Los Angeles.

~ VIEW LA TIMES ARTICLE HERE ~

We’re grateful to writer Lisa Boone, and photographer Etienne Laurent for showcasing our process, and putting together this eloquent and well rounded story.

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Quote: “What began as a business idea after the windstorm became something more personal for Peck: creating art and giving new life to fallen trees.

‘The beauty and uniqueness of that first dining table really confirmed this new direction for us,’ he says. ‘Working with raw wood inspired us to try designs that are different and that respond to the material itself.’” —Lisa Boone, LA Times

The Team: Hannah Peck, Chris Peck, Ethan Casselberry, Jessie Blackman (not pictured: Jordan Kennedy)

In The Works: A Mixed-Material Series

We’re currently working on a set of table bases fabricated from aluminum, designed to pair with wood tops made entirely from offcuts and scrap material generated during our larger furniture projects. The piece shown above uses Coastal Live Oak, reclaimed from Los Angeles’ urban canopy. By designing around these smaller remnants, we’re able to extend the life of the material and explore new forms that grow directly out of our existing process.

In Progress: Console side table - aluminum joinery with multiple mortise-tenon joints combined with stainless steel hardware

The bases are cut from ½” aluminum plate using waterjet technology, then assembled into an interlocking structure that is both durable and fully disassemblable. Once complete, the aluminum will be nickel plated and hand-buffed to a soft satin finish, chosen to quietly complement the warmth and movement of the wood rather than compete with it. This balance between metal and wood allows each material to do what it does best, combining strength and precision with history and organic variation.

In the third image at the top, you’ll notice what we’ve been jokingly calling the “Frankenstein phase”—tile spacers temporarily holding the parts together like stitches. While purely functional, this moment in the process feels fitting: rescued fragments brought together, imperfectly at first, before becoming a cohesive whole. It’s a visual reminder of how these pieces come to life.

In Progress: Elliptical coffee table made with butterflied off-cuts from Eucalyptus slab

This series allows us to work almost entirely with reclaimed and scrap materials, minimizing waste while opening up new design possibilities. It reflects our ongoing interest in mixed materials, adaptable structures, and thoughtful reuse; core values that guide our work at KEITA. As these pieces continue to take shape, we’re excited about what they represent: not just new forms, but new ways of honoring the full potential of each material we bring into our projects.

Event Recap: KEITA x Rivian

Keita Community,

Somehow, a month has already passed since our show at Rivian’s Venice showroom. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who came out to spend the afternoon with us, explore the work, and celebrate local material, sustainability, and intentional design. Sharing our pieces in that setting, with all who attended was a meaningful moment for our team.

A special thank you to Rivian for partnering with us and generously opening their space. The opportunity to show our furniture alongside innovative electric vehicles made for a natural dialogue about long-term thinking, responsible material choices, and designing for the future. We loved seeing people engage with the pieces up close, ask questions, and take their time experiencing the work.

Keep an eye out for our next event collaboration in early spring. We can’t wait to share more soon! Until then, we hope everyone had a restful holiday season, and we look forward to reconnecting in the new year.

Best wishes,

Chris, Hannah, Jessie, Jordan and Ethan

December 7th 10am- 5pm: Design, Community, and Inspiration

Sunday, December 7th, we’re teaming up with Rivian at their Venice Showroom for an event that blends craftsmanship, conversation, conservation, and some sweet EVs.

Join us for an afternoon of appreciation of furniture design and electric vehicle design and enjoy coffee & refreshments. The Rivian team will be offering test drives throughout the event. If interested, please sign up in advance using the link below. It’s a chance to get behind the wheel, meet their crew, and experience what a more sustainable future on the road can feel like.

Inside the space, you’ll get a first look at several not-yet-photographed KEITA pieces, fresh off the benches. As always, everything is crafted from local fallen hardwoods, shaped with care and built to last.

Come enjoy the space, the work, the vehicles, and the creative community of environmental innovators that we’re lucky to be part of.

We’d love to see you there!

Rivian, Venice 660 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291

Rivian x KEITA: 2025 Furniture Exhibition

Experience Keita Design’s latest furniture collection, responsibly made in Los Angeles using urban lumber, and exhibiting the clean lines and thoughtful utility of contemporary, sustainable design.

When: SUNDAY DECEMBER 7th 2025 10am- 5pm

Where: 660 VENICE BLVD, VENICE, CA 90291

~~~~~~ RSVP HERE ~~~~~~

Special open house for our architect and interior designer friends

We’re hosting a special open house for our architect and interior designer friends!

KEITA is hosting a private open house and sale featuring the remaining furniture from our first collection. If you’re seeking distinctive, sustainably made pieces for your clients or collection, we’d love for you to join us at our Lincoln Heights shop on Friday, October 10th and Saturday October 11th.

This is a private event at our maker space, so entry is coordinated in advance. Please reach out here or email hello@keitadesign.com to RSVP and receive gate details.

If you would like to attend but can’t make it, let us know and we’ll find another time.

Here’s a sneak peak of our remaining inventory!

KEITA at Frogtown Brewery: Los Angeles Design Weekend

LA Design Weekend is back, and we’re excited to announce that KEITA will be part of the celebration on Saturday, September 27, from 12-4pm at Frogtown Brewery. It’s going to be a relaxed furniture showcase in the brewery’s tasting room. Come by to grab a drink, hang out, enjoy the craftsmanship, and see our latest pieces up close.

This event is more than a show. LA Design Weekend is a weekend-long grassroots celebration of the city’s design community, broken up into walkable, neighborhood-based activations. Studios, showrooms, installations, workshops- all of it built around creativity and accessibility. LOS ANGELES DESIGN WEEKEND

At KEITA, we’ll be bringing some of our favorite pieces to represent us. Furniture that’s built to last, where every tabletop and joinery detail holds a story of material, place, and process. We invite you not just to see what we make, but to understand how we make it.

Community is at the heart of this weekend and this event. We’re grateful for places like Big Art Labs and other local maker spaces that support artists and designers doing hands-on work in Los Angeles. Events like LA Design Weekend give us a chance to connect. Come join us at Frogtown Brewery. Let’s share ideas, enjoy good company, and celebrate design that’s rooted in place.