1. Bunn Phase Brew HT - With the Phase Brew HT your kitchen can be home to the same commercial coffee quality Bunn is famous for. Brew up to 8 cups directly into a vacuum insulate thermal carafe where it stays warm for hours. Its intuitive display makes brewing a snap. Get yours on Amazon.

2. Swiffer - Like the microwave, Swiffer revolutionized an age-old area of daily living. Wet and dry Swiffers offered a practical replacement for the broom and mop and in the process changed how we clean floors forever. Find Swiffer products on Amazon.

3. Preserve Toothbrush - No longer just from cleaning teeth, the Preserve Toothbrush works to keep the earth clean as well. Made from recycled plastic containers, the Preserve is meant to be mailed back at end of its brushing life where it is recycled again into plastic lumber for construction. Find it at Preserve.

4. Moen Revolution Hand Shower - Everyone likes their shower just so. Enter the Revolution Shower head, designed to offer extensive settings and unprecedented control at your fingertips. Adjust flow, strength, even the size of water droplets using the settings control situated outside the stream of water, a particularly thoughtful innovation. Learn more at Continuum.

5. Compass System - The nature of healthcare and treatment is always changing and continually evolving. Keeping pace with that evolution is the Compass System, a modular system of healthcare space components for hospitals and other facilities. The Compass was developed not just as a better healthcare product, but to provide a better healthcare experience from start to finish. Learn more at Herman Miller.

6. Nala Patient Chair - Extensive research with caregivers and hospitals informed the innovative ergonomics of the Nala Chair. Learning what worked and what didn’t in traditional patient seating, the Nala is able provide amazing support and comfort. Get details at Herman Miller.

Photos linked within text.

What do you listen to while you work?
What I listen to is all over the map, though I think it probably trends towards electronic music where the lyrics are not the primary focus. More atmospheric in the morning and more energetic in the afternoon. There is an absolutely amazing public radio station here called 89.3 The Current who will play Afrika Bambaataa, Tom Waits, and LCD Soundsystem back to back and then a fantastic local band. So I will stream them some mornings.

How do you listen?
I typically use my iPad to stream music via Spotify to my stereo using an Airport Express Base Station. Having one less app open on my computer while I work is nice.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
When I actually buy music these days, which is increasingly rare, I use eMusic. They were always a great source for smaller label bands and musicians but now offer big label artist too. I almost solely use Spotify to listen to music. It has completely changed the way that I “collect” music. On occasion I’ll use Pandora because their stations are better than the Spotify Radio option.

Does music influence your work?
One of the things I love about music is how musicians continue to invent and come up with new sounds and structures. It is this spirit of invention and newness that inspires me and influences my work.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
I have to admit that the main source of influence is the online music guide, Pitchfork. They have turned me onto a lot of great music.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
That is a hard question. I’d like to think that my work is well-edited and minimal, maybe like a good pop song.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
The ideal place to listen to my playlist is the Aeron Chair with polished aluminum base and Black Tuxedo Pellicle fabric. Combining that chair with your work surface and my playlist will result in some inspired work. I promise!

Matthew’s Playlist:
1. Reunion, The xx
2. Headcage, Matthew Dear
3. Jupiters, Four Tet
4. Cherokee, Cat Power
5. Crawlersout, Purity Ring
6. About to Die, Dirty Projectors
7. The Hours, Beach House
8. The Maker, POLIÇA
9. Interstellar, Frankie Rose
10. Love Play, School of Seven Bells

Photos: Matthew Plumstead

1. Issey Miyake VUE – Offering a unique view of time’s coming and going, the VUE’s slatted dial only displays the current hour while the others, past and future, fade from view. Available from All Modern.

2. Sabi Folio Pill Traveler – The Vivacity line of medication management products offers a mix of function, aesthetics, and quality where only low quality existed before. Take this normally mundane task to an efficient, stylish new level by choosing yours at Sabi.

3. Ardea Light - A design tribute to the long-necked Ardea herons, this graceful, flexible light allows you to illuminate your space from every angle. Get the distinctive, energy-efficient Ardea at Herman Miller.

4. Peel Universal Remote – This free iPhone and Android app pairs with Peel Fruit hardware, allowing users to choose shows, search, and review their viewing habits. Available at the Apple Store.

5. Up Wristband – An innovation in health and lifestyle management, the Up wristband and app allow you to track sleeping habits, activity levels, even diet. The comfortable wristband sends data to an intuitive, easy-to-use app interface. Find it at Jawbone.

6. SAYL Chair – Inspired by suspension bridges, the SAYL’s striking, frameless back design provides extensive freedom of movement and comfort without sacrificing support. Light but strong, advanced but affordable. Customize yours at Herman Miller.

Photos: Linked within the text.

What do you listen to while you work?
I love listening to Johnny Cash when I work, from the Sam Phillips-produced Folsom Prison Blues to Rick Rubin’s American Recordings.

How do you listen?
If I’m collaborating or sharing space with another designer, I’ll use headphones. If I’m working solo in my studio, I typically stream through the cloud to my phone, computer, or television.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
I’m listening to The Pixies right now through Pandora as I’m doing this interview. I’ll usually connect to a station of one of my favorite artists and then let it stream.

Does music influence your work?
Most definitely. One of the first clients in my career was the STAX, the record label Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, and Booker T and the MGs made famous. The firm I was working for in Memphis – LRK – won a project to recreate the original STAX recording studio as a museum and design a new STAX Music Academy. I designed the environmental graphics and signage, which were very much influenced by STAX music and the music culture. I was probably a little spoiled early in my career getting to work on such a fun project.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
Having lived in Memphis, Detroit, and Chicago over the past 15 years, I’d have to say that my musical taste is highly influenced by the area I’m living in. I keep a very open mind about styles of music, and love sampling new artists.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
I really admire Andrew Bird’s live performances. They’re a wild mixture of process and execution.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
Without a doubt a light blue Eames Molded Armchair with Rocker Base is the best place to listen to my playlist. Being a rocker it gives you a nice little warm up before your are compelled to jump up and start dancing. Plus, it provides the perfect amount of comfort for taking a break. Those Eameses were two clever designers.

Kyle’s Playlist:
1. Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash
2. Hands of a Working Man, Big Ass Truck
3. Shake ‘Em on Down, North Mississippi Allstars
4. Mercy Mercy Me, Marvin Gaye
5. The Naming of Things, Andrew Bird
6. Dead Millionaire, Beverly Fre$h
7. Seven Nation Army, The White Stripes
8. Chicago, Sufjan Stevens
9. God’s Gonna Cut You Down, Johnny Cash
10. Train from Kansas City, Neko Case

Photos: J.Kyle Daevel, except “Detroit Numbers” (top), by Travis Roozee

What do you listen to while you work?
We usually have something on while we are working, mainly the radio. We tend to listen to cheerful BBC Radio 2 on sunny days and sometimes BBC Radio 4 on grey-rainy days. I really love Kirsty Young’s Desert Island Discs.

How do you listen?
We have a small radio plugged in to our prototype “Cow Speaker” (below), and we also listen through our iMacs, sometimes with earphones if there is a difference in musical taste.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
I often listen to music on YouTube, but also just recently found Soundcloud, which is quite cool for discovering new talent. Also, Spotify is great.

Does music influence your work?
When I listen to music while getting ready in the morning, it really helps me prepare for the day ahead and puts me in a good mood. If it’s miserable weather outside, which is a lot in England, it especially helps. Depending on what mood I am in, I love the “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” medley by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and also “New York” by Alicia Keys.

My good friend Bene Young has just written his first few songs (including one called “Loose Wheel“) and released them on Soundcloud. I find it really inspiring whenever someone is doing something creative that they’re passionate about. Releasing things out into the world for the first time is always a very exciting moment, whatever arena you are in.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
I often discover songs I like from movie soundtracks and sometimes adverts on TV. More often than not I discover them through friends’ recommendations, when we are at someone’s house for a party or a meal. It is always interesting to check out other people’s music and discover new artists. I don’t really look for music, though; I just let it find me.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
Most of my work is created in collaboration with my partner Brendan Young. I’m sure we would have very different opinions about what song or artist would represent our work. For me, it would be something different from the norm, unpredictable with a variety of influences, experimental, and a result of a team — maybe “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. It is a unique and quirky song unlike anything else. It moves in different directions; it’s got such different parts and somehow it’s serious yet still fun.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
The Eames Molded Plastic Armchair with Rocker Base, in yellow. I love the rocking movement. It reminds me of the sea, and the bright yellow makes it feel like summer.

VANESSA’S PLAYLIST:

1. Shake It Out, Florence + the Machine
2. Let There Be Love, Nat King Cole
3. Here Comes the Sun, Nina Simone
4. The Lake, Antony and the Johnsons
5. Chan Chan, Buena Vista Social Club
6. Trois Gymnopédies, Erik Satie
7. Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down, Alicia Keys
8. What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
9. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, The Smiths
10. Together in Electric Dreams, Lali Puna

Photos: Vanessa Battaglia