Gibbens Table Commission

Dennis Gibbens, local architect and designer came to us with a specific table design for us to fabricate for him. Dennis shared his vision of a sensually shaped and heavy legged coffee table for his living room inspired by Charlotte Perriand. We began this project with an image and a template for the tabletop shape provided by the client. We agreed to use our locally harvested stock of Aleppo Pine for the material. From there, Chris and Dennis collaborated with Bill Taylor and the Keita team to create the unique oblong edge profile of the piece. Julie Jackson a skilled wood turner and craftsman turned two of the legs for this project on her lathe at Surclewood.

The tabletop for this piece is made from four laminated and joined planks. As opposed to the hardwoods like oak and eucalyptus, the Aleppo felt almost buttery. The milling process was extremely satisfying.

Shaping the edge of this table was an exercise in geometry. Bill and fellow fabricator Jon Meador worked to determine the various radii and angle router bits needed for the task. After having done the math, the edge profiling was passed on to local artist and Keita manager Hannah Peck, who continued the work of shaping and sanding until Bill returned to do the final assembly and finish work.

After the elements were assembled, the supple nature of this lighter wood required a delicate hand in the finishing process. This piece is finished with a subtle stain that adds a browner tint to the yellow pine. To find the perfect stain and finish for the pine, Bill created several samples and iterations of the staining process including multiple sanding techniques, pre-stain finishes, and various application practices.

The table was delivered to its home this fall where it happily remains, sequestering carbon and serving as a lovely addition to the space of its now owner.



The Bennett Table

On a crisp Pasadena afternoon in December of 2022, a house caught fire. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the material loss was total. Among the multitude of valuable items destroyed was a one-of-a-kind kitchen table. The original was crafted by the owner’s stepfather in 2010 from old growth southern yellow pine that had been reclaimed from a Civil War era warehouse in Louisville, Kentucky. Unlike modern yellow pine, old growth pine is exceptionally dense and strong. The unusual design featured a single leg inversely tapered from top to bottom, and was stabilized by a tension bolt, which ran down through the floor to the framing below.

Bennett table commission by Keita (from Pasadena Live Oak)

Suffice it to say, it was devastating for Jeff, an artist and engineer, to lose such a unique and personal piece. Right around this time, Keita was born, with a mission to transform a growing collection of air-dried urban lumber into beautiful furniture and art. In the spring of 2024, Jeff tasked Chris and the Keita team with the mission to recreate the table.

Jeff and Chris decided on California Live Oak harvested form South Pasadena as the material for the project because of its strength, density, and unique grain. We worked with the complex grain of our urban hardwoods, and as any wood worker will tell you: wood likes to move. Ours likes to dance. To uphold our mission of sustainable fabrication, we came up with joinery techniques to stabilize the piece and allow for wood movement. Jon, with his experience in wood working with reclaimed hardwoods, helped us understand the best ways to use our stock. Jessie developed the conical base joinery, and Chris turned the base on the lathe.

We love the story of this table. Thank you, Jeff, for sharing your story and this meaningful project with us.

Aleppo Pine Conference Table sold to Wesleyan University Engineering Department

As of the start of the 2024 fall semester, our Aleppo Pine conference table with plated Aluminum base became a fixture at the Wesleyan University College of Design and Engineering Studies. We are honored to have a group of engineers and designers pick our design as such an integral part of the faculty environment. A big thank you to Wesleyan’s engineer staff, and to our team here at Keita.

Once we received the order we did a test assembly to make sure everything was in working order, and milled the cross piece that holds the table top together into three parts for shipping. Then we constructed a crate that would safely hold all the parts for the cross country journey. When the crate arrived at it’s destination, the Wesleyan engineers assembled the table in the conference room.

Learn more about the conference table by going to our projects gallery.

Benedict Canyon Table

Our next Formlab project is the biggest project we’ve ever undertaken. The table was hewn from 3.5” thick slabs, milled from a 150 year old oak tree in Altadena. The wood was so unyielding, it was like working with stone. Each quarter of the table is a single plank from the same tree, roughly book-matched in two directions. The table top alone weighs approximately 800 to 900 pounds, making working with the table a challenge. Check out our in-progress photos.


Formlab's Elliptical Stair Takes Shape

Formlab’s elliptical staircase project utilizes the architectural and engineering modeling and drafting skill of the PECK Architectural and Structural team. The elliptical staircase will be in the entry hall of one of PECK’s architectural projects in Benedict Canyon. Check out our in-progress photos.

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Handcrafted Table by Bill Stranger

Bill Stranger of Stranger Furniture has created a unique coffee table (14” high x 28” wide x 52” long). The table was created from old-growth Douglas fir reclaimed from the famous Huntington Hotel Picture Bridge. The Bridge, which is now part of the Langham Hotel, was recently restored. At the behest of Pasadena Heritage, Formlab approached Bill about repurposing the wood. The first piece resulting from this effort will be part of a silent auction.

Chris worked with Bill to refine the design of his “Light Gets In “ table to tailor it to the nature of this old growth fir and retain evidence of its history. The table top holes are leftover from where the bolt holes were in the bridge.

Chasing the Nature of Wood: Diane's Ying Yang Table

After air drying this South Pasadena Oak street tree for two years, we selected it as the material used in making Diane’s commissioned table. After it fell, we called in the mobile band saw, sliced it into planks on the edge of Grand Avenue, and took it to my favorite storage place, otherwise known as…my driveway. See the finished table under our projects page.