Story Time with KEITA: How a Kitten Named a Company

On a late afternoon last January our woodworker, Jessie, was visiting a neighboring workshop when a faint meow could be heard from behind a tool chest and two wary eyes peeked out through the shadows. With a handful of food scraps and a good dose of patience, she slowly coaxed out a small, scrappy kitten. Her name as given by the mechanic was “Makita,” after the tools that surrounded her - “Keita” for short.

First ever image captured of the illusive shop kitten

… 2 hours later

We were a new woodworking venture - still hunting for the right name. We’d gone through pages of ideas, when this little rescue landed in our lives, and KEITA the brand took shape. She came as a reminder that unexpected moments can guide us toward something lasting.

We had just moved into our space at Big Art Labs, a hub of maker studios in Downtown Los Angeles. The day we found Keita, help came from every direction. We quickly learned that the surrounding community is as much a resource as the raw materials we work with.

Big Art Labs- Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles

Building 3- Home of Keita Design wood working studio

Our work is more than crafting beautiful, lasting furniture from reclaimed wood. It’s about the relationships between maker and material, natural history and thoughtful design, and the communities that make it all possible.

Keita came to us at just the right time to give a name to the vision we were about to bring to life.

After a little clean up and a vet appointment Keita the cat is living the good life with Jessie at her new home in Glassell Park.

The Day of Discovery! An instant connection.

Bathtime.

KEITA, Carbon & Urban Ecology in Los Angeles

There are many reasons that a tree may be removed from the urban landscape. Some fall in windstorms, some are removed for construction, and some are removed due to obstruction of roads and footpaths. The urban canopy of Los Angeles is home to many species of vegetation that endure harsh drought cycles, pruning, and compact soils. Among these species are the hardwoods that we use to make our furniture. The particular history of each tree is evident in its trunks and branches. Live Oak grows slowly, developing dense rings and ray flecks. Eucalyptus often displays vibrant swirls, checks, and knots born from rapid early growth and seasonal shock. These visual markers are archives of a tree’s nature and nurture- it’s life story. At Keita, we treat the tree as a design collaborator by responding to its growth patterns, letting its history and nature shape form and function.

Beyond being beautiful, urban trees play an essential role in climate regulation. In the City of Los Angeles, our 6 million urban trees store 1.3 million tons of carbon in their biomass. This is equivalent to ~4.7 million tons of CO₂. A recent USC Dornsife study found that L.A.’s trees offset up to 60% of daytime fossil fuel CO₂ emissions in summer and about 30% annually. When urban hardwoods such as the Live Oak, Eucalyptus, Black Locust, and Chinese Elm in our inventory are reclaimed and crafted into durable furnishings, that stored carbon remains locked in.

These efforts are a working arm of urban ecology, the study of how living organisms function in human-built environments. Renewable energy, water regulation, pollution filtration, and support for biodiversity all fall under this umbrella. Urban trees supply critical ecosystem services. They filter air pollutants, reduce heat islands, manage stormwater, and support biodiversity. Learn more about the avenues of urban ecology at UrbanEcologyProject.com.

At KEITA, we honor the full lifecycle of our materials, support local craftsmanship, and create exquisite items that showcase the lived history of our urban canopy. The result is heirloom-quality works that invite deeper connection between natural history and thoughtful design. Crafted with care and grounded in sustainable practice.

From Fallen Trees to Future Heirlooms: The story of KEITA

At KEITA, our process begins at the source. The materials we work with come from trees that have fallen naturally or been removed out of necessity. These moments of transition in the urban landscape become the starting point for something new: furniture and objects designed to last for generations.

Milling a fallen Oak tree in Pasadena

Selecting slabs for a commission

We approach each piece of wood as a collaboration. The grain patterns and the movement tell the story of its life, helping our team determine the form and function of the final piece. Through a mix of digital precision and hands-on craft, we shape each design with care, building not only for beauty and utility, but for longevity.

By transforming reclaimed and salvaged hardwood into durable, refined pieces, we hope to slow the cycle of waste and overproduction. Every KEITA piece is made with the intention that it can be used, repaired, and passed down. In honoring the full life of the material, we aim to create heirlooms: objects with stories that continue beyond our time with them.

This work is part of a larger mission: to build a more beautiful future for you, and for the planet. We believe sustainable design is not just possible, but essential. By making thoughtful choices at every step of the process, we hope to inspire deeper connections between people, materials, and the spaces they inhabit.

The Rhombus Nesting Tables

The Hannah Table

KEITA and PECK are Co-Sponsoring the Colorado Street Bridge Party in Pasadena

A Message from PECK:

This year, PECK is honored to sponsor Pasadena Heritage’s 29th annual Bridge Party, a celebration of the iconic Colorado Street Bridge and a symbol of the city’s commitment to historic preservation and community identity.

At Keita, PECK’s furniture making enterprise, we believe that preservation is not just about protecting what was; it’s also about extending the life and meaning of our shared built and natural environment.

Pasadena’s Iconic Colorado Street Bridge

From fallen trees to future heirlooms:

At KEITA Design, we believe wood tells stories. Some grow slowly under Pasadena skies, shading homes and lining boulevards. Some fall after decades of drought, development, or storms. But even in loss, these trees still have something to say.

That’s where we come in.

As a handcrafted furniture enterprise, KEITA Design exists at the intersection of preservation and reimagination. We salvage fallen and removed trees from Pasadena, South Pasadena, the San Gabriel Valley, and even Bel Air, and transform them into custom-designed tables, benches, shelves, and sculptural pieces that carry the memory of place forward.

Fallen California Live Oak in Altadena

The Hannah Table- Sourced from the tree in the previous image

A Tree Falls, We Listen

Each tree we mill is tagged with its location and story. From a beloved Coast Live Oak street tree in South Pasadena to a swirling Eucalyptus from Johnston Lake, we mill, season, and shape the wood with care and intention—keeping it close to home and giving it a second life as a future heirloom.

These aren’t just beautiful objects, they’re part of a larger philosophy: reuse over waste, local over imported, and legacy over trend.

Just as CM PECK helped preserve Pasadena’s La Loma Bridge through advocacy and design, KEITA Design honors that same ethos, preserving our natural and cultural heritage, one tree (and one table) at a time.

Whether you're sitting at one of our tables or walking across a historic bridge, we want you to feel rooted in the story of this place.

Beauty from every bit: handmade olive wood earrings

At Keita, every piece of wood has a story — and can be transformed into something beautiful and meaningful.

Our collection of earrings celebrates this philosophy, turning hardwood from our larger projects into elegant, wearable art.

Our collection of Olive wood and Live Oak earrings are now available at My Zero Waste Store in Pasadena.

Olive trees are drought tolerant and slow growing due to their Mediterranean origins, creating the iconic expressive silhouette of the full olive tree, as well as the tight, curling grain patterns within its limbs.

We shaped these earrings to compliment the dramatic grain, and selected brass and gold-plated hardware to bring out the golden tones in the wood.

Our earrings of California Live Oak have a cooler tone which is complemented by silver and steel hardware.

These earrings are a natural extension of our furniture-making process. By upcycling these smaller pieces, we honor the material and invite our community to enjoy Keita’s craftsmanship in new, accessible ways.

We’re excited to grow this line in the future, and will continue to find beauty in every bit of wood.

Stay tuned for more updates as our earring collection expands!


A New Home for the Red Gum Eucalyptus Console Table

Acquisition 

Cheryl had an early look at the Eucalyptus Console Table while it was temporarily stored at her home. The piece captured her attention, and by the time it was officially released at Keita’s opening show in April, she was first in line to inquire. By the end of the month, the table had found its permanent home with Cheryl and Chris. 

Now positioned in the entry hallway of their home, the piece sits just beyond the glass front door. Pinks and oranges in the grain catch the natural light from the entryway as it invites guests into the earthy and modern interior. 


The Origin Story

This piece was harvested from a tree that blew down in Pasadena near Johnston lake in 2017. It air dried for several years and, as eucalyptus does, it warped and bowed. 

Chris and Eric had the idea for the design, and began milling. After some hand planing the plank revealed a dramatic knot pattern and grain warp that both inspired us and presented unique challenges.

An Innovative Approach to Flexibility and Structure

The method that we came up with blends precision woodworking and engineering. We made a series of cross-grain relief cuts on the underside of the slab, which allowed the wood to flex in a controlled way. That gave us the ability to carefully pull the top down to meet the frame, using embedded hardware to lock it to the stiffer rails that run against the underside of the piece, locking the top in place.

We then cut custom plugs from the eucalyptus and used them to conceal the hardware. These details maintain the organic look of the table, and serve as testimony to the transformation it underwent.

One of the unique features of this table is the large split at one end, stabilized with small "stitches" of native material. We chose to keep this feature open to the air as opposed to filling the void. Each detail in this piece represents an exploration in design and manufacturing techniques.

Honoring the Material

Our goal with this design is to preserve the character of the original slab—the checks, the knots, the flow of the grain—while creating a clean and elegant design that stands the test of time.

The result is a functional piece that feels alive: it has movement, depth, and presence. It reminds us that the most compelling design often comes from a dialogue: listening to the material and responding with our own intention.

Fleck's New Home

We are thrilled to share with you our most recently sold piece in it’s new home. Fleck was purchased at the Wine Wood and Wax event at the end of April, and has been settling in with John O’Keefe and Katie (the doodle) for about a month.

About the shoot:  It’s not often we get to work with professional models in the manufacturing biz, so having Katie pose for this editorial was a real treat! A big thank you to John for letting us set up in his home to let us get these great shots of the piece and the pooch.

About the piece: This bench was made by Chris and Eric using an edge cut from the trunk of a California Live Oak that fell in South Pasadena. As one of the earlier Keita pieces, it has rustic but effective joinery that features legs roughly mortised into the bottom of the table, with a built-up trapezoidal single runner beam along the bottom to stabilize the legs. The beam passes through the legs, which were crafted from the end cuts of the plank and is pinned in with wood wedges.

The legs were shaped to create a two-pronged contact with the ground, while preserving enough solid material at the top to secure the beam joint. 

John is loving how this piece fits into his space — we think the Fleck bench’s natural, rustic vibe complements the room’s decor perfectly. 

What’s Next: After two successful sales and an incredibly positive response from everyone who has visited in person, we're feeling excited about the future of our work. The support for our craft has been energizing, and we’re more motivated than ever. Stay tuned — we’ll be sharing details soon about the sale and new location of our Eucalyptus Console Table!

Wine, Wood, and Wax Recap

Two weeks ago, we had the pleasure of hosting our Wine, Wood & Wax event! Thank you to everyone that joined us in celebrating craftsmanship, creative expression, and community. We had a fantastic time sharing our work, talking shop with friends and colleagues, and enjoying the buzz of a space filled with people who truly appreciate handmade design.

A special thank you to our cohosts—Monopole by Wine Rx, Sibylline Records, and My Zero Waste Store—for helping to make the evening such a success. We’re also grateful to My Zero Waste Store for generously providing the space to showcase our furniture.

We’re excited to share that the event led to the sale of two pieces: our Eucalyptus Console Table and Fleck, a piece by Chris Peck and Eric Paul. Check back in soon for updates about these pieces in their new homes!

We loved being a part of the conversations about process, material, and form. On display were a variety of works including the Hannah Table, our Nesting Oak Coffee Tables, the Rhombus Nesting Tables, the Eucalyptus Media Cabinet, Chris’s Oak Dining Table, Diane’s Yin Yang table, our Five-Legged Coffee Table, and two in-progress pieces—a lamp study and a eucalyptus slab that will soon become a series of sculpted stools. You can find three of these on Display at My Zero Waste Store.

If you missed the event or want to revisit the work in person, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us anytime through the contact page on our website. And of course, we hope to see you at the next one—stay tuned.