The Everyday Carry of an Architect: Jeff Shelton

"Certain types of ideas live in certain instruments."

What you need to know about Jeff: 

Working out of a turn-of-the-century barn in downtown Santa Barbara, California, Jeff Shelton describes his work as being "asymmetrically symmetrical—and a bit over the top." He works with local artisans to create bold masterpieces that are clearly Mediterranean-inspired. As an architect and graphic designer who draws his plans by hand, he also designs furniture and lighting.

1. Moleskine pocket notebooks: "To remember it all. I label and keep them after they’re full so that I can go back and look up important information. I have 120 of them so far."
2. Yard stick: "To measure just about anything."
3. Compass: "I swing a compass to space stuff out."
4. Harmonica: "I play this to get lost. This one is a Hohner Special 20 Classic."
5. Wet pen: "To define my thoughts. I use Paper Mates and Pigma Micron pens for detailed work or if I need to write in the rain."
6. Mechanical pencil: "To delineate ideas. I usually use Pentel Twist-Erase .07 mechanical pencils."
7.  Soft pencil: "To find the big picture before getting caught up in details too soon. If you start by using a pen, you might focus too fast and miss some good ideas. I use soft Staedtler pencils to sketch."
8. Portable decision maker: "I made this to remind my clients who is making the decisions. Too many cooks in the kitchen is a recipe for a bad project. We mounted it to a light board so that it can be set on a desk or put up on the wall. If you’re interested, we can make one for you. Let us know here."
9. Ink pad, date stamp, and name stamp: "I use rubber stamps to formalize everything."
10. Grid paper and tracing paper: "To work things out."
11. White Out and eraser: "To omit bad ideas."
12. Tape ball: "To keep my office clean."
13. Note cards: "I write these to keep everyone on my team focused. They represent emotions that usually come up. I place them in front of me during meetings, depending on where it’s taking place."
14. Frisbee: "This helps me think. I taught frisbee at Santa Barbara Middle School and have collected hundreds of flying discs since then."

"I gauge a good year by how big my wad of used drafting tape is. Less is more." 

Keep up with Jeff’s work by following him here.