Leona Goto is a Los Angeles-based designer working primarily in interior architecture + design. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, she moved to California at the age of 16 and completed her undergraduate studies in Philosophy at UCLA. Always an artist with a curious sensibility, she recognized early on that creativity holds a unique ability to heal and empower the human spirit. This belief led her to collaborate with UCLArts & Healing and the Creative Minds Project, experiences that continue to shape her humanistic approach to design.

Leona specializes in lighting design — a passion deeply influenced by her father, a Tokyo-based photographer who taught her the psychological and emotional dimensions of light. This foundation evolved into a lifelong fascination with the art and science of illumination, leading her to work with global lighting houses such as Flos, Ingo Maurer, and Bocci, to name a few.

Before starting her own practice, Leona spent nearly 5 years at Woods + Dangaran, a Los Angeles architecture studio where she helped establish the interiors department. Her contributions are featured in the firm’s monograph, which showcases 5 of her completed projects that she helped shape in close collaboration with the partners and team.