DESIGNING, MAKING + ORGANIZING

I’m Leela Morimoto, a product designer with a passion for efficiency and organizing. I was born in Hawai'i and raised in Hawai'i and Japan. I am half Japanese, and try to get back to Japan to see my family as often as I can.

In the beginning there was origami. I’ve been folding for over 30 years. I started with cranes, houses, and balloons but over time I became enamored with modular origami and spent all of my free time folding to create every combination of shapes possible. This led me to my paper diamond, now my most popular line of jewelry.

Although Origami kickstarted my passion for design, all of my life experiences have led me to find a love of creating order and systems through form follows function design. Sometimes products don't exist for exactly what you need, and that's where my design and manufacturing expertise come into play!

My academic background is in Product Design with minors in Interior Architecture and Japanese. I studied abroad in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland - soaking up the design aesthetic and loving the simple and functional Scandinavian design.

After graduating from the University of Oregon, I worked as a Production Manager at a design and manufacturing studio. At this, and every other job I’ve had, I’ve fallen into the role of organizer and systems manager. I understand that creating systems for work flow are irreplaceable and necessary for peak productivity. 

Now, as a product designer and small business owner myself, I understand what it’s like to wear so many hats and that at times it is difficult to stay on task. This is when I fall back on my organization and systems. With over 12 years of hands on experience in organization, optimization, and efficiency, I now help other makers and small business owners run their businesses more efficiently.

If you have an idea for a product or need help optimizing your business - let's chat!