Born, raised, and educated in Japan, Kobayashi moved to the United States to study furniture design at San Diego State University with Wendy Maruyama. Since 2006, Kobayashi has been teaching furniture design at the Rhode Island School of Design as well as attending artist residencies at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine.

Kobayashi, educated in traditional woodworking techniques, makes both functional objects like tables and chairs, as well as purely sculptural items. Her forms are often elongated, slender, and very delicately joined.