What do you listen to while you work?
In the office we have a bit of a music ritual. Early mornings tend to be fairly mellow, picked by whoever comes in first. Then, at 10am we tune in via iTunes radio to the KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show. That lasts until 1pm and we usually go the duration — unless the guest in the last hour is driving us crazy. At 1pm we go into a rotation and we usually get a bit loud from 1 – 3pm while we’re trying to get a bunch of shipping done before the UPS pickup.

How do you listen?
We listen through iTunes via Airplay, connected to a fairly vintage thrift store find Yamaha receiver, connected to some old, but very nice Infinity speakers. It’s a handy system because we can all connect via iTunes or Spotify, etc. When I really need to focus and get a lot done, I’ve got a pair of Aiaiai TMA-1 headphones I’ll put on to shut out distractions.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
“Favorite” might be a stretch, but we do listen to Spotify in the afternoons a fair amount.  And naturally, we keep an eye on Pitchfork and the usual locations.

Does music influence your work?
I tend to think music influences everything but it’s often in a behind-the-scenes way. More directly, I know that if we have a lot of shipping to do, some A Place to Bury Strangers might be just what we need to make it go fast.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
Most of our new music is introduced via a collection of friends around the country on a small music email list. Usually once a week someone on the list sends out a new band for us to check out. It’s a mix of folk, so we end up with rap to sad-sack music and everything in between.

Do you have Herman Miller pieces in your studio, home, or office?
In my house I’ve got a Nelson Platform Bench and an Aluminum Group Lounge Chair. My daughter usually capitalizes the lounger (“it spins well!”) but my longtime favorite is the bench. Simple, clean, classic. [My partner] Jedd has a few more pieces at his place, he has an Eames Lounge Chair in leather — and I’m not convinced he ever sits anywhere else. His dog, Pinto, is usually found on the Ottoman. He has an Aluminum Group Lounge Chair as well — he found both his and mine at a local vintage shop.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist is on a black leather Eames Chaise. It starts off slow so you can relax a bit, and then about the time you doze off it picks up — at which point, no more sitting. That means it’s time to get up and move. 

Mark’s Playlist:
1. Life’s a Beach, Django Django
2. One More Time, Psychic Ills
3. Don’t You Forget It, Allah-Las
4. Love Vigilantes, New Order
5. Let the Day Begin, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (“The original by The Call (his dad) was great, too.”)
6. Borrowed Time, Parquet Courts
7. Build, Destroy, Rebuild, Hanni El Khatib
8. Electric, The Men
9. Anxiety’s Door, Merchandise
10. You Are the One, A Place to Bury Strangers

Mark adds:
This list represents what we’re listening to now with a few throwbacks that seem to pop up in rotation. It’ll likely be different in a few months.

Photos: Mark Hansen

Above: The Eames Aluminum Group outdoor pieces, Konstantin Grcic’s Corian hearts for the Design Love exhibition and auction, Andree Putman’s Corian sail boat bowl and an illuminated Luminaire.

Also on display is the Design Love exhibition – a collaboration between DuPont, Intramuros magazine and well known designers including Ingo Maurer, Andree Putman, Jean-Marie Massaud, Patricia Urquiola and Konstantin Grcic (whose wonderful Chair One and Stool One are part of the Herman Miller Collection and grace the halls of Art Basel). The works are all in Corian and are exhibited together for the first time at Luminaire. You can bid for them in an online auction here until December 3. Sales will benefit the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami.

Photo credit: The image above of the Luminaire sign is from Worldredeye – check out their site for some great coverage of Design Miami.

What was interesting this year is we were actually going back to an original design with the re-issued Eames Aluminum Group chairs – of course, with some significant updates (technology lets us do cool things with mesh). The iconic chairs, that are so well known to Lifework readers, actually originated as outdoor furniture designed for the Miller House in Columbus, Indiana. Ha! I can hear the penny drop. So that’s why we designed the booth with the Miller House in mind. It all makes sense now. You get to see the new/old design in their natural setting – an iconic modern home with a seamless flow between indoors and out. You can read more detail about the booth and chairs here. But I thought you’d like to get a glimpse of them asap.

We’ll have a slideshow with images from photographer Paul Warchol - a step up from my iPhone snaps! I think I made Paul a bit nervous waving the phone around but I couldn’t resist posting some pics of us setting up this morning.