“Certain types of ideas live in certain instruments.”

Photo by Chris Jenkins" layout="" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>

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.

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."
Yard stick: "To measure just about anything."
Compass: "I swing a compass to space stuff out."
Harmonica: "I play this to get lost. This one is a Hohner Special 20 Classic."
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."
Mechanical pencil: "To delineate ideas. I usually use Pentel Twist-Erase .07 mechanical pencils."
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."
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."
Ink pad, date stamp, and name stamp: "I use rubber stamps to formalize everything."
Grid paper and tracing paper: "To work things out."
White Out and eraser: "To omit bad ideas."
Tape ball: "To keep my office clean."
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."
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.

Also Appears In

The Everyday Carry of an Architect: Jeff Shelton