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Friday Five with David Weeks

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David Weeks is no stranger to the digital “pages” of Design Milk, as the New York designer has been at the forefront of modern product design since opening his eponymous studio in 1996. From bold lighting to angular furniture to imaginative wooden toys, the designer continues to expand his repertoire of sculptural goods that no doubt double as art. Besides designing, he opened a storefront in Tribeca in 2013 that merges a gallery with a creative lab, allowing the studio to explore installations and collaborations as desired. In this week’s Friday Five, Weeks shares a diverse mix of picks, including places, music, and words, that keep him inspired.

Painting of Louse Point by artist Terry Elkins

Painting of Louse Point by artist Terry Elkins

1. Louse Point, Long Island
My wife Georgie’s parents have a little house on the peninsula up there. It’s a really special spot, inextricable in my mind from spending time with the family. The light in Louse Point, so natural and abundant, is gorgeous. 4:00 is great. The peak of the afternoon is ending and daylight is just starting to wane, and dusk takes three hours.

2. Big Daddy Kane
His song “Ain’t No Half Steppin’” comes to mind. Hip-hop is the only musical style that was “invented,” so to speak, in my lifetime. I have a connection to it because of that, which is unsurprisingly enough something I’ve carried into my design work. The Boi shade is named after Big Boi, for example. Anyway, this song and Big Daddy Kane’s music are, fair to say, things I love.

Photo via Bond Street’s “For New York” series, from the Baron Von Fancy interview

Photo via Bond Street’s “For New York” series, from the Baron Von Fancy interview

3. The Odeon
This place is one of those artifacts left around from “The Old New York,” the 80s New York. Sitting at the bar for cocktail hour is the perfect moment.

Photo from City of Toronto archives, illustrating the types of 20th century workers the novel fictionalizes accounts about

Photo from City of Toronto archives, illustrating the types of 20th century workers the novel fictionalizes accounts about

4. “In The Skin of a Lion” by Michael Ondaatje
The detail in the language that the author uses, these unspoken descriptions of the main characters that are conveyed in the spaces and the silences of the writing, it’s all really inspirational. A reminder that artistically and, I suppose, otherwise, there’s power in the understated.

5. Dakar, Senegal
Madness can be mundane over there. We’re working on a collection right now with craftspeople in Dakar so we’ve been back and forth. Life and relationships seem so honest. We don’t share a language other than design, and that is enough for us all.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.