→ Made in Los Angeles

How We Make Our Furniture in Los Angeles

At Stephen Kenn, our approach to furniture design and production is deeply rooted in our home city of Los Angeles. Every collection we create—from the iconic Inheritance Collection to the simple and handmade Grounded Collection and of course, our Outdoor Collection—is made with intention, character, and a deep respect for process.

We believe that how something is made matters just as much as how it looks or functions. That belief is reflected not only in the materials we use and the form of our designs, but also in the people we choose to work with and the values that guide our studio. Our furniture isn’t mass-produced in distant factories; it’s built here in Los Angeles by people who take pride in their craft—ourselves included.

A Hands-On Approach

From the beginning, we’ve been committed to working with our hands. In fact, one of the first pieces Stephen ever designed was created by deconstructing a vintage military duffel and pairing it with a simple steel frame that was welded by a neighbor of ours. That spirit of curiosity and craftsmanship continues to define how we work today.

In our studio, we handle many parts of the production process ourselves. We cut and sew cushion covers and leather bags, wrap leather, stitch canvas, and oil wood. This hands-on approach allows us to control the quality and ensure that every detail reflects the character and standards of the brand.

Having our own studio means we can prototype new designs quickly, refine them iteratively, and maintain a close connection to the physical act of making. It also allows us to customize pieces for clients when needed, accommodating special dimensions or finishes that wouldn’t be possible in a traditional mass-production model.

A Community of Craftspeople

But we don’t do it all alone. Los Angeles is home to an incredible network of skilled artisans and fabricators, many of whom are immigrants and second-and-third-generation craftspeople running small family-owned businesses. We’re proud to work with these specialists—woodworkers, metal fabricators, upholsterers, leatherworkers—who help bring our ideas to life.

Some of these relationships have lasted for over a decade. Others are newer, born out of a shared sense of purpose and mutual respect. We love being able to walk—or drive—a few minutes to meet face-to-face, discuss a new design, or tweak a prototype in real time. This close collaboration ensures that everyone involved understands the intention behind the work, not just the specifications.

In many ways, this community of local makers is part of the DNA of Stephen Kenn. Their skill, resourcefulness, and dedication allow us to keep our production local while achieving a high level of craft. Their stories and cultural backgrounds enrich our process and give deeper meaning to the term "Made in America."

The Inheritance Collection

Our first collection, and the one most associated with the Stephen Kenn brand, is The Inheritance Collection. Born from a fascination with military surplus materials and the idea of reuse, it pairs minimal steel frames with repurposed canvas and leather upholstery. Over the years, this collection has evolved—from early pieces stitched from military tents to refined iterations made with Japanese boro quilts, Belgian linen, wool, and hand-aged leather.

Every Inheritance piece is made in Los Angeles. We work with a local steel fabricator to cut and weld the frames, which are then powder-coated, plated, or hand-finished in our studio. Cushions are sewn in-house or by a family-run upholstery shop a few blocks away. We source our leather from another American company, Moore & Giles, in Virginia. Their commitment to quality and durability rivals our own. The full-grain leather we get from them have rich and deep colors, and will only improve with time.

The name “Inheritance” speaks to both the materials we use and the hope that these pieces will become part of a personal legacy—furniture that’s meant to last, to be passed down, and to tell stories.

The Outdoor Collection

With the Outdoor Collection, we aimed to bring the same level of aesthetic clarity and comfort to pieces that could withstand the elements. Built with super-durable powder-coated frames and UV-stable fabrics, these designs are meant for porches, patios, rooftops, and courtyards—but still feel like they belong in a home.

Producing outdoor furniture in Los Angeles has its own challenges—finding the right coatings, testing durability in variable climates, and working with materials that are often unfamiliar in the indoor furniture world. But the same collaborative, local-first approach guides us here as well. We prototype the frames in-house, then partner with local metal specialists for full production. Sewing and upholstery happen nearby, often with the same teams we use for our indoor lines.The unique, proprietary stretch webbing we use to create structure and an ultra-comfortable seating experience is also milled in Los Angeles, just down the road from our studio.

This collection reflects our love for open spaces and the California lifestyle—minimal yet warm, robust yet elegant.

The Grounded Collection

The Grounded Collection is our most tactile and elemental series to date. It celebrates raw materials—blackened steel, river stones, and hand-aged, hand-stitched leather—and places them at the forefront of the design. Each piece feels rooted, solid, and deliberate.

For Grounded, we pushed further into traditional handcraft techniques. The coat rack, for instance, features steel hooks wrapped in veg-tanned leather that we age by hand using oils and beeswax in our studio. We do the hand-stitching in house, spending hours on each piece, giving each design a unique and subtle beauty.

This collection is a response to a world that often feels fast, polished, and disposable. It’s about slowing down, appreciating materials in their most honest form, and making things that are meant to endure.

Why We Make in America

There’s a certain pride that comes with making furniture in America—particularly in a city like Los Angeles, which has long been a hub for design, innovation, and cultural fusion. But for us, “Made in America” isn’t just about geography. It’s about accountability, sustainability, and values.

By producing locally, we can ensure ethical working conditions and fair wages. We reduce our carbon footprint by cutting down on international shipping of materials or finished goods. And we’re able to maintain a level of quality and responsiveness that would be impossible if our production were outsourced.

It also allows us to support other small businesses—many of which are owned by immigrants who came to this country with a craft and a dream. These partnerships form the backbone of our company. They remind us that American manufacturing is still alive, still viable, and still deeply human.

Sustainability Through Longevity

We don’t chase trends or cut corners. Instead, we build with durability and timelessness in mind. Our materials—steel, canvas, leather, hardwood—are chosen because they wear beautifully over time. Our designs are clean and minimal so they can adapt to changing spaces and tastes.

We believe that the most sustainable thing we can do is to make furniture that people will live with for decades. Pieces that can be reupholstered, repaired, and reimagined rather than replaced. This mindset informs everything we do, from the way we construct the upholstery so it can be replaced or easily repaired, to the quality materials we start with, which will endure heavy use for many years before needing repair.

Even our packaging and shipping processes are guided by this ethos—we strive to eliminate excess, use recyclable materials where possible, and ensure that every product arrives in perfect condition and ready to serve a long life.

Always Evolving

Though we take pride in the collections we’ve built, we never consider our work “finished.” We’re always learning, adjusting, and exploring new techniques. The studio is a place of experimentation—whether it’s trying out a new leather aging process, collaborating with a local ceramicist on a one-off piece, or exploring sustainable textile options.

Some of our most interesting ideas have come from custom projects, collaborations, or even client requests. We view these as opportunities to learn and stretch creatively, often resulting in design elements that later make their way into our permanent collections.

We’re also exploring ways to open our process to others—through studio visits, educational content, and conversations about craft, sustainability, and design. Transparency is important to us. We want our customers to know where their furniture came from, who made it, and why it was made the way it was.

In Closing

Making furniture in Los Angeles isn’t always easy. It can be more expensive, more complicated, and more hands-on than outsourcing overseas. But for us, it’s the only way that makes sense.

It allows us to create with intention, collaborate with talented local makers, and uphold the values that matter most to us—craftsmanship, sustainability, community, and transparency. It allows us to stay close to the work, to take pride in every stitch and weld, and to share something honest and lasting with the world.

At the heart of it all is a belief: that well-made things can bring beauty, meaning, and connection into the spaces we inhabit. That design is not just about aesthetics, but about people. And that the city we call home—Los Angeles—is the perfect place to keep building, one piece at a time