Josh Owen was born in the United States in 1970. Owen holds a BFA in sculpture and a BA in visual studies from Cornell University, and an MFA in furniture design from the Rhode Island School of Design.

In 1998, Owen established his design studio, Josh Owen LLC, in Philadelphia, PA. Owen designs furniture, products, lighting, and spaces for clients such as Areaware, Casamania, Kikkerland, and Umbra.

In addition to his own design, Owen is a design educator. He has taught at Philadelphia University, The University of Pennsylvania School of Design, and most recently at Rochester Institute of Technology. He develops multidisciplinary programs and teaches both graduate and undergraduate students.

Owen's work is included in the permanent design collections of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal, the Denver Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Chicago Athenaeum and the National Museum of American Jewish History.

Awards include a 2003 Surface Ten Avant-Garde Designers award, a 2005 ICFF Editors Award, first place at the 2007 International Design Awards, and Chicago Athenaeum Good Design awards in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011.