Leah Johnson ’22 Takes an Artist’s Eye to Interior Design
Leah Johnson ’22, an alumna of Chatham University’s interior architecture program, now works at the Perkins Eastman design firm. (Courtesy of Leah Johnson)
Chatham University’s Bachelor of Interior Architecture program will host an Academic Visit Day for prospective students on Nov. 15, 2024. Sign up here, then read about one IAR alum’s post-grad successes below.
Leah Johnson ’22 always knew she wanted to be an artist, but it was after she came to Chatham University that she turned that into a passion for architecture and interior design.
“I just knew I liked the arts, and I wanted a career in art,” Johnson said.
Now, she’s got it. Johnson is in her second year working as an interior designer at Perkins Eastman, an architecture and design firm located in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh. Whether she’s picking out furniture and art to decorate spaces the firm has designed, or helping stage and select professional photos of these locations, she’s always excited to flex those artistic muscles.
It’s been rewarding working at Perkins Eastman, because her coworkers—many of whom are also Chatham alumni—are all unique, she said. “I learn so much from people based on what projects I’m put on,” she said. “I have multiple people to bounce ideas off of, so working here has been really helpful, because everyone here is so talented. It’s so scary!”
Building a Portfolio
A native of Collegeville, PA, Johnson first came to Chatham for a tour while visiting schools in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio. Inspired by her experience, Johnson became a tour guide for Chatham almost as soon as she started her first year here. That was just one of her many on-campus activities. She was also a RISE mentor, president of the Black Student Union, and part of the Feminist Coalition.
“I made a lot of different friends with a lot of different personalities in those clubs,” she said. “It was an experience getting to know those people, getting to know the things they’ve been through, navigating school.”
Chatham’s Bachelor of Interior Architecture (IAR) program helped prepare Johnson to enter the competitive world of professional design, she said. “We really did the major practice areas to put in our portfolios,” she said. During her four years in the program, she filled that portfolio with designs for condos, ambulatory clinics, and an accessible museum. That work was invaluable when the time came to apply for jobs.
“In this field of work, you cannot apply for a job without a portfolio,” Johnson said. Chatham’s IAR program made sure she filled hers as early as her first year. “It’s developing those professional skills early, because this is what you’re going to be showing employers.”
Johnson also appreciated that professors in the program work in the design field. Those connections helped students find internships and even employment, she said.
For her internship, Johnson worked at the Carnegie Museum of Art’s architecture department, where she worked with staff architects, created a guidebook, and learned about architectural history.
“I did a lot of research in their archives,” she said. She wore gloves and pored over old letters from Andrew Carnegie himself. That experience was unique, Johnson said, and stood out to employers when she began applying to jobs.
Working at Perkins Eastman
Now, as a professional interior designer, Johnson works with a variety of talented, creative people. She said she was particularly proud of her contributions to the design of a senior living community in New Oxford. In school, she’d work on projects for hypothetical clients, but on this job, a real-life clients had real thoughts and opinions on her team’s work. That was a learning curve.
“They were on top of our design throughout the whole thing, and then they decided that they changed their mind and wanted something completely different, which was new for me,” she said. But the client ended up loving the second design. “The way they were envisioning the project through the materials that were being picked and the ideas that we had was really rewarding,” Johnson said. “They were really excited about it.”
Outside of Perkins Eastman, Johnson is also a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects, which she credits with much of her professional success. She’s also involved with the American Institute of Architects and the Indigenous Curatorial Collective. And she’s enjoyed living in Pittsburgh, where she’s developed close connections with peers in the industry and friends.
“I need a community around me,” she said. “I think Pittsburgh does offer that for me.” It’s not all that different from the communal feeling she found at Chatham, she said.