Sam Riehl

I majored in Industrial Design at the University of Louisiana, located in the small city of Lafayette—my home for the first 22 years on this planet. This culturally proud, “self-proclaimed-mecca-of-all-things-food-and-fun” city created for me more opportunities than I ever could have imagined. It helped to define my person, my passions, and my career. In the summer of 2017 I moved up to the beautiful Chicago, IL, to intern for Focal Point Lights, a high-end lighting manufacturer with a knack for quality and great design. Following my internship, I was offered a full-time position, graduated college, and have been reporting 8AM-5PM ever since.

I now balance my time between my day job, family, friends, hobbies, and my big furry Catahoula Husky—Jacques. I enjoy traveling (almost more than anything), particularly with my best friend and partner, Brandii. Together, we have eaten our way through countries, states and cities all over the world and we have no plan of slowing down.

Naturally, my creative approach has been informed by my surroundings and experiences—my upbringing, environment in which that happened, the people that included, and the places that took me. I believe in simple and honest design—design that needs no explanation. Design that finds harmony between form + function. Design that strikes an emotional chord and makes you like it without really understanding why.

Ultimately, it’s about creating. I like to make cool things.