About.
Leah (Lay-uh) K.S. Amick is a furniture and product designer based in Portland, Oregon where she focuses on fabricating and marketing her designs. She grew up in rural Indiana and spent her childhood summers in Finland. Leah’s multicultural upbringing has inspired practical objects with a pure and understated aesthetic, where form and function elegantly coincide. Utilizing visual and tactile elements, her most recent pieces provoke curiosity and stimulate a sense of awareness in an object while retaining its functionality.
Leah holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in industrial design and a master’s degree in furniture design from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She has been involved in a variety of projects ranging from phone accessories to modular furniture and her work has been featured in numerous design exhibitions and competitions. Her work is included in the permamnent collection of the RISD Museum of Art and has been featured with Azure Magazine, Apartment Therapy, Design Milk, House Beautiful, and INSIDER Home.
July/Aug. 2023 / Fine Woodworking / Build an Elegant Wooden Bath Tray
Jan. 2019 / YAM Magazine / Unique Statement Piece From West Coast Designer
Jan. 2019 / House Beautiful / This Credenza Literally Peels Open, And It's So Mesmerizing
Sept. 2018 / Azure Magazine / IDS Vancouver 2018: What We Saw and Loved
March 2017 / Home Crux / Twist pendant lamp regulates light intensity with just a turn
February 2017 / INSIDER Home / This Lamp Dims When You Twist It
May 2016 / Google Design Newsletter / 5 Things to Love Right Now
May 2016 / Design Milk / Wanted Design’s 2016 Launch Pad Winner: Tomnuk
April 2016 / Design Milk / A’ Design Awards & Competition 2016 Winners
April 2016 / ArsCity / A’ Design Award and Competition: I Vincitori
April 2016 / Ignant / A' Design Awards 15/16: Top 10 Winners
April 2016 / Italian Bark / A' Design Award : Announcing the Winners
January 2016 / Design Notes: The Design Within Reach Blog/ Toasting winners in our 2016 Champagne Chair Contest.
Sept. 2015 / AWFS / "Meet the New Faces of Manufacturing" Campaign
Aug. 2015 / HD Talks / Product Designers on the Rise
Accolades:
Oct. 2018 / Emerging Artist Award / ShowPDX / Portland, OR
Sept. 2018 / Prototype Winner / IDS Vancouver / Vancouver, BC
April - May 2017 / Periphery: Design Week Portland - Curated Design Show and Panel Discussion / Portland, OR
May 2016 / Honorable Mention / WantedDesign NYC: Launch Pad / New York, NY
April 2016 / Golden A' Design Award / A' Design Award & Competition / Como, Italy
April 2016 / Piece Selected for Accreditation Exhibition / Rhode Island School of Design - Furniture Department / Providence, RI
March 31 - April 3 2016 / Rhode Island Design Show / Providence, RI
Jan. 2016 / Second Place / Champagne Chair Contest / Design Within Reach
Sept. 2015 / RISD Museum - Permanent Collection / Rhode Island School of Design / Providence, RI
June - Oct. 2015 / Juried Entry / New Contemporaries - Gelman Gallery / Providence, RI
May 2015 / Pen and Chisel Award for Written Thesis / Rhode Island School of Design - Furniture Department / Providence, RI
May 2015 / Graduate Thesis Exhibition / Rhode Island Convention Center / Providence, RI
Nov. 2014 / Best in Show - Student / Fine Furnishings Show / Pawtucket Armory Arts Center / Pawtucket, RI
March - April 2014 / Furniture Graduate Student Exhibition / Sol Koffler Gallery / Providence, RI
Jan. 2014 / RISD Furniture Design Department Triennial / Woods-Gerry Gallery / Providence, RI
June 2013 / U.S. Patent - Convertible Chair
May 2011 / Mentor / James Dyson Foundation / Chicago, IL
Aug. 2010 / International Semi-Finalist / James Dyson Award
Aug. 2010 / Finalist / IWF Design Emphasis Competition / Atlanta, GA
July 2009 / First Place / AWFS Freshwood Competition / Las Vegas, NV
Feb. - March 2009 / Juried Entry / Westwood Semi-Annual Student Exhibition / Purdue Univeristy / West Lafayette, IN
2009 / Third Place Regional Judging / James Dyson Award
Check out what Leah K.S. Amick has been up to:
