LA Chair 2026 - Los Angeles Design Weekend
“Designers, Donuts, and Coffee” AKA “The Los Angeles Chair Breakfast.”
Friday, October 2
10am -12noon
The ROW DTLA Courtyard.
The ROW will be activated all day and into the night.
Information
LA Chair is a curatorial project to capture this moment in Los Angeles Chair History.
The Los Angeles region cultivates a specific hybrid of “West Coast Studio Craft,” but it all agglomerates into the more is more that defines LAish-ness.
There is more of everything here. More people. More craftspeople. Tradespeople. Vendors. Wholesalers. Distributors. Job shops. Garage shops. Factories. Big Factories. Design legacy. Craft legacy.
75 years ago Sam Maloof sent a letter to Charles Eames asking for business advice, about licensing some of his furniture design for production. I’ve sent similar texts to friends.
They were both doing the same thing, but in a different way, at the same time, in LA. (Even though they technically lived 60 miles across town from each other.) I’m out in Long Beach. I’ve got friends in North Hollywood, Burbank, DTLA, Highland Park, South Pas to the South Bay, it’s allllllllllll LA.
Los Angeles is underneath some of the most informative designs and designers in modern architecture and design history. This project is a continuation of that documentation.
We make different moves on the West Coast.
This curation, this project, is a snapshot. A survey.
What is being made here right now?
What is being designed here right now?
That’s it. That is the criteria.
These are LA Chairs.
SUBMISSION CRITERIA
Designed or Made in LA, currently.
Must be totally safe to sit in by the general public.
Must allow the general public to sit in the chair.
Prototypes and Student work are allowed IF you meet 2 and 3.
You must “Pack in and Pack Out” your chair on the day of the event.
Do you have an LA Chair?
Email me - eric@erictrine.com
Subject: LA Chair, Your Name.
ALL CHAIRS will be accepted if the 5 criteria are met.
The goal is to get an accurate representation of chairs being made in LA right now. That’s it.
The event is really simple. The vibe is informal.
EVENT FORMAT: LADW is a progressive event structure, moving attendees from event to event.
https://www.ladesignweekend.com
Our “MAIN” event time is Friday morning at 10am - 12noon. This is OUR time slot, 3 years in a row.
It’s a great communal event that captures the spirit of the fair - this is what is being made here in LA right now!
Please email me with any questions you may have.
Final location details are coming together. But it’s a super easy access spot with plenty of parking and room to roll up in your truck with your chair.
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More musings and photos from past events below.
Adding more soon!
The aim of this project is to create a working archive of chairs designed and made in LA currently, culminating in a publication: “LA Chair” (2026ish).
We are at the very beginning stages…
In 2020 I was asked to co-curate an exhibition on California Design for the Long Beach Museum of Art. We narrowed the field and selected 20 studios working in LA, covering a range of “products” from early to mid career designer/makers.
The curation was an attempt to capture the zeitgeist rather pull from the deep archives.
This project seeks to do the same. There is so much being made here in LA, and in so many different aesthetics.
The first event was held at the Stephen Kenn Loft in the Arts District in DTLA in collaboration with programming for Los Angeles Design Weekend.
LA Chair - Event I - June 21, 2024, 10am-12pm.
Chairs By:
Bend Goods, Brendan Sowersby, Haoda Ma, Nathan Max, Sugihara Fine Furniture, Stephen Kenn, Tomoki Design
LADW write up and LA Chair mention on Dezeen: https://www.dezeen.com/2024/07/16/los-angeles-design-weekend-2024/
Photo by Meghan Mcneer
In October, we hosted another LA Chair event featuring chairs from: Paramorph Studio, Earl Home, Sean Woolsey, Rad Furniture, Mexa Design, and Stephen Kenn.
