What do you listen to while you work?
I have a pretty broad taste, but when I really need to bury myself into a project, I usually have something electronic or ambient playing. It helps keep me focused.

How do you listen?
I have the studio to myself all day, so I pretty much just blare the computer speakers.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
Designers.MX, Pandora, Spotify, Daytrotter, and Audiotree are some of my favorites.

Does music influence your work?
It sure does. When designing anything tech related, I listen to a lot of Kraftwerk and Underworld. One example is the playing cards I did for Bicycle [above]. I also do a lot of illustrations based off of Morrissey lyrics. A lot of great things to work with there.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
My friends are constantly sending me songs on Spotify. Other than that, I usually find new artists on Daytrotter or Audiotree.

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be?
I would have to say Bruce Springsteen. I have been a really big fan for some time now. I love the stories he tells with his songs and I try to do the same with my design and illustrations.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist is: the Goetz Sofa in Walnut Veneer, Neon Messenger Fabric, and a Night Crush Fabric for the accent. (My favorite piece has always been the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. I shall own one someday.)

Luke’s Playlist:
1. One Million Lovers, The Growlers
2. The Sky is Black, Window Twins
3. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, Santa Esmeralda
4. Well I Wonder, The Smiths
5. Wrecking Ball, Emmylou Harris
6. Midnight Confessions, The Grass Roots
7. How Long, Ace
8. Born to Be Wild, Steppenwolf
9. In Dreams, Roy Orbison
10. The Partisan, Leonard Cohen
11. Solitary Man, Neil Diamond
12. City of Night, Bruce Springsteen

Photos: Luke Bott

What do you listen to while you work?
I listen to a lot of things, ranging from mixes, podcasts, and bits and bobs that I find, as well as selections from my vinyl collection. It all depends on how I’m feeling and what type of energy I need to get through my work. I’m a huge fan of soul, jazz, R&B, and funk. I’m currently on a boogie and modern funk kick, and enjoy listening to artlists like Dam-Funk, Onra, Steve Arrington, and Nite Jewel.

How do you listen?
I share a studio with Gavin Potenza, Liz Meyer, and Dan Cassaro. Usually when we’re all around, I listen to music through headphones, either on my computer or iPhone. When I’ve got the space to myself, I listen to playlists I’ve compiled on YouTube through our projection/stereo system setup. When I’m at home, I listen to records on my portable turntable in my room, or through our stereo setup in the living room.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
Some of my favorite sites for music are Dublab, Music is My Sanctuary, XLR8R, Wax Poetics, and Boiler Room. I also like visiting my favorite labels — Stones Throw, PPU (People’s Potential Unlimited), Brainfeeder, and Numero Group. YouTube’s also an awesome source for weird and rare stuff. You’d be surprised how much great music I’ve found there simply by clicking on related videos. Honestly though, I think the best way to find music is digging for records. It’s one of my favorite things to do…sometimes you just have to scratch that itch.

Does music influence your work?
I am totally my music, and my work is a direct reflection of that. I tend to gravitate towards upbeat music, and my work feels that way through color and content.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
I find music recommendations through artists I follow on Soundcloud, magazines like Wax Poetics, and, of course, through friends. My friends have varied music tastes, so each one offers a different perspective. One friend recently sent me a video of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers live at the 8th festival of International Jazz in Sanremo, Italy on March 23, 1963. It’s almost an hour of hard bop live! I highly recommend watching it.

If your work was a song or a musician, what or who would it be?
If my work was a song, it would be Stevie Wonder’s “Outside My Window” from Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. It’s cheerful, expresses a lot of joy, and is about one’s unconditional love and bond with plants. A lot of my work thematically deals with nature, the cycle of life, balance, and the complexity of human emotions.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
On a Goetz Sofa in Walnut Veneer, Hydrangea Messenger fabric, and a neon accent color. It’s big enough to listen to my playlist with friends and have a dance party, or just daydream and lounge in solitude.

Grace’s Playlist:
1. What’s On Your Mind, Tony Cook feat. Dam-Funk
2. Sexopolis, Jean-Pierre Mirouze
3. If It Ain’t One Thing, It’s Another, Richard “Dimples” Fields (1975 version)
4. Love Is Strange, Peaches & Herb
5. Still Waters, Jerry Jones
6. Talking About My Baby, John Heartsman & The Circles
7. Superwoman/Where Were You Last Winter, Yesterday’s New Quintet
8. Only My Love Is True, Foster Sylvers
9. Places and Spaces, Donald Byrd
10. By the Time I Get to Phoenix, The Escorts
11. Daahoud, Clifford Brown
12. Prince of Peace, Pharoah Sanders
13. Every Time We Say Goodbye, John Coltrane

Photos: Grace Danico

1. Patterns, Drusilla Cole To kick off this week’s pattern odyssey, let’s begin with Drusilla Cole’s compendium of global pattern design. Curating from textiles, fashion, furnishings, and more, Cole showcases the work of designers and artists alike. Some commercial, some far out and funky, there’s a little something for everyone. Get it here.

2. Rhombins, Eric Pfeiffer and Scot Herbst Sometimes a pattern can do more than just arrest the eye. Rhombins offer numerous geometrical patterns to organize with via their modular and polygonal configuration. Made with plant-based Cereplast, they’re good for planet, home, and office. Put a few together at The Utility Collective.

3. The Happiness (Print), Inaluxe Inspired by their love of patterns, vintage prints and wallpaper, and mid-century modern design, Australia-based design studio Inaluxe presents their ode to happiness in the form of this vibrant pattern. Giclée on fine art museo paper. Find happiness here.

4. Goetz Sofa, Mark Goetz Why not combine patterns with a stunning combination of sculptural profile and ergonomic comfort? The Goetz sofa turns the common sofa inside out with an exterior wood shell and balanced, cushioned seating. Choose from 4 veneer options coupled perfectly with an array of patterned (and colored) upholstery. Shown above in the iconic Eames Dot pattern. Get one at Herman Miller.

5. Links Area Rug, notNeutral Reminiscent of bicycle chain links or even merging cells, the Links rug from notNeutral hints subtly at the synthetic and the organic adding a unique pattern to your interior. 100% wool loop, available in three color palettes. Link up with one here.

6. Fishwall Wall Tiles, Blik Patterns can be derived from countless corners of the natural world. For instance, Matias Damian Horn’s Threadless pattern draws its inspiration from the scales of fish. Available from Blik, these fabric wall tiles are eco-friendly, easily installed and customized, and are the perfect way to accent with color and pattern. Scale up your walls at Blik.

BONUS: The Pattern Foundry From the digital world, try The Pattern Foundry, an archive of licensable, decorative patterns created by artists and designers from around the world. Open for anyone to use, they can be applied anywhere and to anything. Explore the foundry here.