Luke Young Portfolio

LUKE YOUNG

Luke Young

Phone: 870-714-0309 Email: atlukeyoung@gmail.com

Designer

Experience: June 2023 - Present

Designer Aria Group Architects, Chicago, IL Conceptual and Schematic design, Construction documentation Branding, graphic, and wayfinding design Custom furniture drafting and specifying Drafting and rendering 3D models Digital marketing, photography and editing Design trend and materiality research

August 2022 - May 2023

Graduate Research Assistant Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, Fayetteville, AR Conducting research on mass timber construction Researching woodworking techniques Assisting students with model making and construction

May 2021 - August 2022

Product Designer World’s Away, Memphis, TN Furniture drafting and rendering Product sketching, modeling, and inspection Inquiring with factories regarding product manufacturing Digital marketing, photography and editing Creating content for socials, retail, and clients Design trend and materiality research

August 2021 - May 2022

Teaching Assistant Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, Fayetteville, AR Preparing project statements for course objectives Helping professors teach design thinking Assisting students further their education

Education: August 2022 - December 2023

Masters Degree - Integrated Timber Design Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, Fayetteville, AR

August 2018 - May 2022

Bachelors Degree - Interior Architecture Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, Fayetteville, AR

Skills & Softwares: Furniture design Furniture construction Woodworking 3D modeling/ printing

Laser cutting / CNC routing AutoCAD Autodesk Revit Rhino 7

Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop

TABLE OF CONTENT S Recent Projects Chicago, IL, 2025 Aria Group Architects Chicago, IL, 2024 White Oak Hotel Hot Springs, AR, 2023 Interior Sculpture Fayetteville, AR, 2022 Delta Drawn LakeView, AR, 2022 Worlds Away Internship Memphis, TN, 2022 UDBS Whipple Family Forestry Education Center Hot Springs, AR, 2022 36 Mtn. Tokyo, Japan, 2021

Lighting Chicago, IL, 2025 I’ve recently begun developing a series of custom lighting fixtures as part of a personal design initiative. These projects have allowed me to explore the intersection of form, material, and function through a more hands-on, craft-oriented process. Drawing on an industrial and minimal aesthetic, each piece balances refined simplicity with warm, natural elements—most notably wood. This work has not only deepened my understanding of lighting design and fabrication but also reignited my passion for product design. It’s been exciting to see these ideas come to life and begin building a brand around them.

One of the standout pieces in my lighting work is a table lamp that explores fluid form through a floral lens. The shade is constructed from a series of hand-shaped, vertically oriented strips, which gently twist to create a dynamic silhouette that shifts with the light. I printed a delicate floral pattern across the material to evoke a sense of softness and nostalgia—inviting both visual texture and a quiet warmth.

003 Lamp

These two wooden lamps represent a deeper exploration into sculptural form and the expressive qualities of natural materials.

Each lamp is constructed from a series of wooden slats that vary subtly in profile to create a flowing, organic contour. The first design emphasizes sinuous, wave-like curves, producing a soft silhouette that shifts as you move around it—mirroring the fluidity of light itself.

The second lamp plays with tighter, controlled pinches that introduce a more architectural rhythm, casting dramatic, layered shadows that animate the surrounding space. Both pieces aim to create warmth through material and motion, and reflect my growing interest in how repetition and variation can shape not only the object, but the atmosphere it creates.

002 Lamp

001 Lamp

Designer Chicago, IL, 2023 Working at Aria has been an incredibly rewarding experience for myself.

During my time here, I’ve had the opportunity to work in all aspects of design, including wayfinding design, graphic design, and furniture design. Each project has offered its unique set of challenges and learning opportunities, allowing me to expand my skills and creativity.

I’ve found fulfillment in every aspect of my work. Aria has provided me with a supportive environment where I can thrive and grow as a designer. I’m grateful for the valuable experiences and skills I’ve gained here, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to innovative design solutions in the future projects.

Special event space

Main dining

Graphic design

Special event space

Graphic design

Graphic design

Bowling space

Dining space

Graphic design

Each project at Aria has been both unique and captivating. Being involved in endeavors spanning architectural, interior, furniture, and graphic design realms has afforded me invaluable learning experiences. The shown images exemplify the outcome of a store redesign that I have been currently working on, alongside the developed graphics for this specific location.

Dining space

Arcade bar

Graphic design

White Oak Hotel Hot Springs, AR, 2023 White Oak Hotel is a design proposal for the adaptive reuse of an elementary school in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Lee Elementary School was closed during the late 80s and has served little to no purpose for the community since. The proposal for a hotel/ event space aids in stimulating the economy of the growing city. Due to the area’s high tourist traffic and rich natural history, the design must respond to the occupancy need as well as the nature of the surrounding community.

This 15,000 sq/ft hotel also includes a fully functional restaurant/ bar on the bottom floor, as well as a kitchen that supports 3,200 sq/ft event space. Most of the structure and glazing remains the same and corresponds with the new construction. The design and adaptation of the project are driven by the concept of a white oak tree and strive to use native lumber for sustainability.

Site Plan Scale: 1/32” - 1’-0”

Exterior Perspectives

First Floor Plan Scale: 1/8” - 1’-0”

Storage Plan Axon

Flexible Space Scenes

Upholstered leather Cotton batting High density polyurethane foam 3/4” Plywood 2-3/4” x 2-3/4” Wood 1/2” Plywood 2-3/4” x 1” Rectangular steel tube Honeycomb cardboard 3/4” Plywood

1/2” radius fixed steel tube for locking in dining position Welded locking rod

Piano hinge 1” x 1” Square steel tube

1/2” Plywood

Locking rod cap 1/2” radius fixed steel tube for locking in seating position

Upholstered leather Cotton padding High density polyurethane foam Steel disk welded to x” tube Screw Adhesive 1/2” Plywood 3/4” Plywood 1/2” radius steel tube for locking in bolsters Press-fit spring plunger

Rubber leg bumper

One of the biggest challenges with this design was the layout of the flexible event space. Due to the size of the space, the design of this project implements custom furniture that can be transformed into multiple seating arrangements and table heights. The dimensions of the pieces allow them to be scattered throughout the space for a lounge setup, then stacked and packed away for a lecture setup.

This page showcases the variety of adaptations as well as the construction documentation.

King Room

Double Room

Double room

Materials

King room

Upper level Corridor

Transverse Section Scale: 1/16” - 1’-0”

Interior Sculpture Fayetteville, AR, 2022 The interior sculpture is a product design course that I had the privilege of being a part of during the Fall of 2022. This course challenged me to test what are the limits of products that can be constructed using only 3D printed materials and wood working techniques.

Light fixture design project

One Jig Chair is a bent lamination, lounge chair that was constructed with a new interest in steambending wood. Using this technique, I was able to achieve the curvature of the seat, arms, and legs of the piece. To start, I began sketching, making test models, 3D prototyping, and steam-bending pieces of wood to come up with a plan of construction.

This process along with 4 months of trial and error allowed me to come up with a design that can be constructed completely out of wood and glue, while only using one jig.

The images here are the result of the course called Interior Sculpture. With the guidance of our professor, I was tasked to explore what could be achieved using only wood and custom 3D-printed elements.

Delta Drawn LakeView, AR, 2022 The design of the Lake View Interpretive Center looks to create public awareness of these events, further communicate their lasting effects, and act as a flexible community center to renew the cultural activity within the area. Being a local of this area made it challenging for myself to take a step back and assess the project from an architectural standpoint, but further opened my eyes to the need for design even in extremely rural areas. The following images are a few of the results of my design proposal.

North and East Elevations Scale: 1/16” - 1’-0”

Exterior Perspective

Library

The concept and materials used in the design are derived from the look and function of surrounding farm equipment in the Mississippi Delta Region. The overall shape and form refers to the various proportions of buildings in the area.

Exploded axonometric showcasing the structure that supports the building catilevers, aswell as the metall paneling on the building exterior.

Exploded Axon:

Flexible meeting space

Product Designer Memphis, TN, 2021-2022 World’s Away is a furniture design firm that I had the opportunity to learn from during my sophomore and junior year of college. This firm gave me experience within the world of furniture design and marketing by letting me assist with product design, construction, and inspections as well as managing content for their website and socials.

YOUNG CO Etagere

Process sketches

42”

10”

7”

34”

OSLO CO Coffee table

34”

42” 4”

Form drafts

OSLO SGO Coffee table

20”

25”

15 1/2” 28”

28”

2 1/2”

25”

11 1/4”

13”

15” 3” 1/2”

3 Tier Table Option 5

”22

”02

3 Tier Table Option 3

”21

”82

”72

”2/1

”61

”51

”9

”61

”3

”2

”2/1 2

6 noitpO elbaT reiT 3

31 noitpO elbaT reiT 3

Creating renderings and line drawings for factory manufacturing.

Troubleshooting issues that might arrise during product construction.

LARKIN WH Desk

Creating lines of furniture for the firm to sell to potential clients.

Designing pieces and specifying the construction drawings.

UDBS Whipple Family Forestry Education Center HotSprings, AR, 2021 The following is a conglomerate of drawings for a mass timber project being built in Hot Springs, AR. The following images were curated by myself and my studio cohort during the fall of 2021. This project hopes to serve as an education center to educate visitors on the forestry industry of Arkansas, as well as an event center, and a functioning sawmill/ wood processing outlet.

Site Plan Scale: 1/64” - 1’-0”

The physical model is a completely wooden structure built at 1/2” scale produced by the combined effort of the studio course. During the course, I was heavily involved with the construction of the model due to my woodworking background.

Physical Model Scale: 1/2” - 1’-0”

Exterior Perspective

Flexible Confrence room

MINI MILL

SECTION PERSPECTIVE 1/2”=1’

Section Perspective Scale: 1/8” - 1’-0”

atlukeyoung@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-young-175009251/