KEITA at LA Design Week/end Group Show: Our Joy Is Resistance

We’re pleased to share that KEITA will be exhibiting the Lastage Table in Our Joy Is Resistance, a group show presented as part of this year’s Los Angeles Design Week/end. Curator Sarah Al Qatou has brought together a collection of contemporary artists whose work fosters an insistence on wonder, expanding the mind and nurturing the spirit.

Closing Reception: Sunday, 10/4 10am-3pm

1634 W Temple St, Los Angeles 90026

~~~ RSVP ~~~

Open now at @ Alabaster

1634 W Temple St

Los Angeles has a rich history of design innovation, manufacturing, and hands-on craftsmanship. Its network of independent studios, artists, and fabricators offers a unique environment for creative exchange, where ideas can move freely between disciplines and be realized through collaboration. As a small, locally rooted studio, KEITA is grateful to be part of this community. Our work is shaped not only by the materials we source from the urban landscape, but also by the creative relationships that surround us.

Events like LA Design Week/end offer an opportunity to bring these creative communities together, making space for new perspectives, shared ideas, and connections between designers and the people who engage with their work. We appreciate the opportunity to participate in Our Joy Is Resistance and to share the Lastage Table alongside the work of other local artists and designers. We see these gatherings as an important part of a thriving design culture that values experimentation, hands on creativity, and the exchange of ideas.

The Lastage Table 2026

Coast Live Oak from 2011 Pasadena wind storm

The Lastage Table reflects our ongoing interest in the relationship between material, form, and craftsmanship. We approach each project as an opportunity to explore the possibilities of our materials, allowing the natural qualities of the wood to inform the design. Working with reclaimed urban hardwoods, we bring together traditional woodworking techniques, digital fabrication, and an intuitive design process to create pieces that balance structural integrity with organic form. Each piece is an exploration of what can emerge when we work in collaboration with the material rather than impose upon it.

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!