Design Anthology - Asia Pacific Edition
Following the Rhythms
Morning
As Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Dylan Davis and Jean Lee have been making lighting, furniture and accessories in their Brooklyn studio since 2010, but they've been partners for even longer — long enough to navigate different habits and routines.
Davis is the early riser. He gets up around seven and if the surf is good, he heads to the beach. ‘I try to use the morning to be meditative, so I enjoy surfing or jogging,' he says. Lee is only half awake when Davis leaves. ‘I'm the type of person who needs coffee in the morning,' she says.
Midday & Afternoon
The design workday often begins over homemade lunch, where Lee and Davis share thoughts and ideas that may lead to a brainstorming session.
Davis describes their creative process as cyclical, a continual rhythm of breaking off to work on their own — he might be working on prototypes or product development while Lee is launching a new collaboration — and then coming back together. ‘We call on each other to fill in the gaps on whatever we're working on,' he says.
When covid-19 hit New York last spring, Dylan Davis and Jean Lee, founders of Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, escaped to The Rockaways, a sand-fringed peninsula in Queens that faces the Atlantic Ocean. Removed from the city’s bustle, the pair found inspiration in the coastal light and cyclical rhythms of nature. We spent a day with them to find out more about their creative process and new routine.
The line between work and life is porous, inspiration plucked from daily routine. Since moving to The Rockaways, their design process has been informed by the light from their ocean-facing window. ‘We often experiment using our own lives,' Lee says. ‘Lately, we've been observing light quality — day versus evening, how we experience light.'
‘The pandemic put us into a headspace of thinking about the elementary properties of materials and materiality,' Davis adds. ‘What is the essence of light itself ? And how can we express the quality of light in a meaningful way?'
As Davis talks, Lee sifts through a bed of material samples and holds up a piece of faded blue sea glass she recently collected from the beach. ‘This will give us ideas for colour samples or the kinds of finishes we can put on glass,' she adds.
Late Afternoon
If the designers are working from home, they'll often break for a walk at five or six, but when they're working in their Red Hook studio, where they do more hands-on work like testing out materials and modelling, the workday will often stretch into the evening.
Evening
During their first summer in The Rockaways, the pair enjoyed picnics and bonfires on the beach. ‘The simple luxuries are really calming these days,' Davis says. The winter months will likely see them spending more time at home or in front of the fireplace at their Brooklyn studio.
Lately, they've been following circadian rhythms, using only low lighting after dark. Around 11.30 p.m., Davis turns in for the night, but Lee, the night owl, stays up a while.