Welcome to Plank LA

Plank LA is a new furniture company founded by Kevin Washington. He creates furniture through collaborations with local artists and designers, many of whom are completely new to furniture making but have beautiful and fantastic design ideas. Plank LA provides the guidance and resources to bring these design ideas to fruition.  Kevin’s belief is that these collaborations will produce unique and beautiful furniture that will appeal to the lifestyles and design aesthetics of Southern Californians.

This inaugural collection will consist of several lines of furniture, each inspired by and created in collaboration with a different local artisan. These artisans share a common belief that those who create can impact us and that what we see can bring joy, peace and most importantly, inspiration.

Kevin’s passion to create began several years ago when he decided to take up woodworking as a hobby.  Over the years, he took on more difficult projects and developed more advanced skills and techniques. Kevin fell in love with the entire creative process and became addicted. When he wasn’t working to make a living, he was engaged in his favorite hobby, going into his workshop and building.  When speaking on how design impacts his life, Kevin says, “I feel alive when I create, and when I see something beautiful that someone else has created, I want everyone to see it, everyone to have it, and everyone to experience the joy and inspiration it brings to life.”

Plank LA operates as a co-op with  five basic principles; simplicity, distinctiveness, the potential to appeal to  large groups of people, flexibility, (the ability to be easily produced in a variety of sizes and colors), and affordability.   

We seek out creative people who have fantastic design ideas and whose  principles align with ours..

Plank LA is excited to bring our supporters and designers on this design journey. Welcome.

Collections

Elements Collection

The creation of the EuroAsia Collection starts with a fascination with textures and colors.

This collection has a penetrating finish made in Belgium and popular in Europe, Africa, and Asia. It has little to no sheen but this finish enhances the natural beauty of the wood. With the collection, we integrated Shou Sugi Ban, which is an ancient method of preserving wood by burning it. During this treatment, the burning the wood ‘pops’ the natural gain creating a beautiful zebra-like finish.

We offer the Eurasian Collection in 3 pieces; a coffee table, end table, and large and small side  tables. Each piece is made to order, with your choice of finish and wood type.

Artesano Collection

The beauty of Latin American encaustic tile is mesmerizing. The earthiness of the texture evokes images of Mexican villas with floors and walls tiled by local artisans.

PlankLA works with local latin manufactures to integrate the tile textures into a culturally rich collection. We opted for a wood base and frame reinforced with steel, which allows a simple but elegant frame. We use one of the finest penetrating sealants to preserve and enhance the beauty of the stone.

Each table and table top are hand made to order. Artesano Collection comes in a dining table, end table, coffee table, and ‘sofa’ table. You can choose from several finishes for the base and frame creating a design that is uniquely yours.

LonKente Collection

Lonnie “Lonkente” Edmond is an artist and painter with a passion for Afrocentricity expressed through simple shapes and colors.  Through his art, Lonnie portrays the rich history and culture of African.

For the LonKente Collection, we use exotic woods from Africa and integrate the essential shapes in Lonkente’s art to keep the collection as alive, as it is on canvas. The pieces have an elegant frame and base that showcases the tabletop without distracting from its beauty.

Given the nature and uniqueness of the wood, no two pieces will be exactly alike and a limited number will be made. The collection currently comes in a dining table, end tables, and small and large of side tables.

The Complexions Collection

Stan Smith, at ‘Things Made With Wood’ makes uniquely spectacular pieces of furniture with ease. He is a master at manipulating wood grains to create simple and elegant pieces. He sees the natural beauty in wood and embraces the imperfections with boldness.

This line is designed with poplar, which is considered a paint grade wood but is beautifully manipulated and sealed in a deep epoxy resin which allows the grain to pop.

This collection is available in poplar and other woods. The table top is coated with clear, durable epoxy while your have a number of colors to choose from for the base of the table. The base is simple so as to complement but not distract from the beauty of the table top. The line comes in a dining table and end table.