Episode 1 · Season 1 · San Francisco, CA
FURNITURE IS A LANGUAGE: Woodworker Luis Peña on storytelling, making, and creativity
Luis Peña is a furniture designer and woodworker in San Francisco, the maker behind Peña Made. Recorded in his wood shop, the premiere episode traces a creative path that ran through graphic design and filmmaking before it landed in furniture — storytelling through objects, the power of a beginner's mindset, family roots and memory, and building a business rooted in craft.
June 26, 2025 · 49 min
Episode notes
In the premiere episode of The Trades Show, host Briana Ottoboni visits the wood shop of Luis Peña, furniture designer and woodworker behind Peña Made, to explore his creative journey from graphic design and filmmaking to handcrafted furniture. Together, they discuss storytelling through objects, the power of a beginner’s mindset, building a business rooted in craft, and the deeper meaning behind making things by hand. This episode offers a soulful look into the world of modern artisanship and what it means to create with intention.
The Trades Show is a show about modern craftwork — a conversation series with artisans and a return to what makes us human: the ability to create with our hands.
Chapters
What's in this episode
- 00:00 Introduction
- 01:21 Meet Luis Peña & his journey into woodworking
- 04:48 From graphic design to filmmaking to furniture
- 10:53 Storytelling through furniture design
- 13:09 Family roots, memory, and inspiration
- 16:54 Designing without formal training
- 19:27 Collaboration, community & creative flow
- 24:43 Making pieces that hold a life of their own
- 27:05 Wood types, materials & working process
- 31:41 Blending handwork and CNC technology
- 33:20 Scaling the business while staying small
- 35:27 The business side: learning on the fly
- 37:55 Advice for aspiring artisans
- 40:42 Mentorship, risk, and failure
- 45:30 Creativity as something that flows through us
- 48:12 Outro
Meet the guest
Luis Peña
Luis Peña is a woodworker in San Francisco, CA.
Luis Peña is also on The Corral, the national jobs board for artisans and the shops that hire them.