Cisco Pinedo

For nearly three decades, Cisco Home has been a Los Angeles-based haven for handcrafted ingenuity. Driven by our passion for elegant design, thoughtful sustainability, and community building, our family of designers, makers, and activists work side-by-side to create one-of-a-kind, eco-friendly pieces that transform your house into a home with your health in mind.

Portrait of Cisco Pinedo

How did this all start?

Cisco grew up surrounded by nature in a small, 20-family village in Mexico. His grandfather was a beekeeper and his grandma a cheese maker. They grew everything they ate, built the houses they lived in, and traded with others in the village for anything else. “I think that’s where I get my love of sustainability. Even though the village was small, there was a real sense of community where everyone worked together to make the most out of the land without overworking it. There was a respect for nature and what it gave us,” Cisco said.

In 1975, Cisco moved from his small Mexican village to South Central, Los Angeles. He describes the change as a “slap in the face.” “I was so overwhelmed with this new city culture and everything around me. I had never experienced anything like it before.” Cisco found solace from the hustle and bustle of the city by working in a small, local Makers shop. He was able to get creative with his craft, learning new ways to build furniture with materials others often looked over. “I would go to the flea market and get things no one else wanted. I remember picking up this old pink fabric and bringing it back to the shop to use on a couch. When I was done making it, everyone was fascinated by this pink couch because it was something they’ve never seen before.”

That ugly pink couch inspired him to expand his craft and open his own shop. He rented a small garage in South Central for $40 a week, and had the freedom to create what we now know as the Cisco Standard: handmade pieces of furniture using repurposed materials with little waste.

Cisco and Maurishka Pinedo