5 Favorites from form•function•form‘s owner/designer Shawn
Shawn Photo credit: Kelian Photography for aandhmag.com.
Sure it’s just stuff. But stuff can make life easier, more enjoyable, etc… Every so often we ask one of our favorite people to rattle off their five favorite things. This is the stuff they’d grab if the house was burning down.
form•function•form was created because Shawn wanted something that didn’t exist. Something that fit his style better than anything else out there. And then other people wanted what he was making. That stamp of Shawn-ness (not his term) is all over his goods. From a wallet/notebook hybrid, to a keyfob with a leatherman and lighter, he’s making what he wants at the quality level he demands. His customers seem to appreciate that.
As is always the case with our 5 Favorites series, nobody is paying to be here and we determine who gets a spot. To ratchet up the difficulty level on owners and designers, they’re allowed to pick only one item from their place of work.
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#1 iPhone loaded up with econtalk and freakonomics podcasts
“I have an iPhone (always jailbroken), but I’m sure I’d be just as happy with a rooted Android phone that would let me get instant answers to the legion of questions that pop into my head daily, and listen to all the coolest new music from somebandyouhaveneverheardof. Well…alright…actually, it’s 75% podcasts that I listen to. Economics podcasts (econtalk & freakonomics) and an occasional audiobook.”
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#2 Sketchbook. Seen here attached to FFF’s Architect’s Wallet – $100
“I can’t really ever be without a sketchbook for very long, because I’ll get some idea working in my head, and I need to get it down or it will drive me crazy wondering how this little fold or curve is going to work with something else. I’m a digital fanatic, and tapping out notes on my phone to have them synched across multiple platforms or meticulously drawing something in AutoCad is always going to have a place in my process–but when it comes to really creative spurts, only my mechanical pencil is a nod to the latest millennia. It’s really why I appreciate my Architect’s Wallet so much; having a pen and a notepad with me all the time is great.”
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#3 Leatherman Squirt – $36.00 | Leatherman Wave – $62.96
“I’ve got a few pocket knives, but I usually have a leatherman squirt and a leatherman wave with me at all times. I’ve sacrificed a good many to our illustrious TSA, unfortunately. This is always something that a guy carries around and wonders ‘how in the hell did I get all this stuff done before I carried this thing?'”
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#4 Books. Dickens
and Steven Erikson specifically
“Any book, really…but I’ll spend loads of time in fantasy novels. I’m currently 80% through Steven Erikson’s ‘Malazan Book of the Fallen‘ series, which is great–so long as you don’t mind being tossed in mid-story without 35 info-dump backstory sessions. Reading this series on anything but a digital format would be almost not worth the effort; searching back to figure out who this or that character/city/god/tribe is would be a nightmare on dead-tree-media. If I had to only read one author, though, I’d definitely go with Dickens–his little convoluted, snide comments are incredible, and make for such delightfully well rendered (if often two-dimensional) characters. My favorite Dickens is ‘Bleak House‘
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#5 A pair of very well made shoes – Oak Street, APC, Red Wing, Howard Yount, & Grenson
“Do I have to pick one pair of shoes? Really? That’s just cruel and unusual. Oak Street penny loafers, Natural Chromexcel. APC loafers in blue suede. Red Wing x JCrew 2904’s. Howard Yount double monks, tan suede, Grenson shortwings…..etc., etc. Shoes are awesome–my weight may fluctuate obscenely, but my feet are always the same size, and I’ve never thought “damn, I shouldn’t have spent money on these shoes,” unless it’s to say ‘I should have just gotten one really good pair, instead of three mediocre pairs.'”
Very Top “5” Photo Credit: Gunnar Bangsmoen
Just got the wallet in the mail. Amazing! Thinner than I’m used to. It’s gonna force me to thin out the amount of cards I carry around daily. Which is actually a good thing. Seriously. Why am I carrying around a Best Buy card daily when I only go maybe 2-3 times a year?
Leatherman tools are some of the most useful tools ever. Won’t take the place of your nice wrench, socket, or driver set, but they come through in a pinch.
Because as men we like to be prepared…for discounts lol
Those penny loafers look pretty dope.
That is all.
Plus they can look you up by your phone number.
Yeah. GD you for showing me the drool worthy site of Oak Street. I have no cash but lots of desire for many of those shoes there…
As long as you don’t lose the tool, probably one of the BEST things for most situations on the list. Had mine for over 10 years…
I wish Joe or Beth would write up a post about “How to convince the wife to let you splurge on something.” Is this really even possible?
Oak Street is calling my name, but she just won’t have it. Lucky for me, my double monks were on sale with a sale on top of that… so they ended up at $60 instead of 130. Stingy, stingy, that one….
Pleasantly surprised to see the nod given to Oak Street Bootmakers. The Brown Vibram Sole Camp Boot is the most well-made shoe I’ve owned and can be paired with anything. The harder the beating they take, the better they look and feel. Also, when I called in to ask about sizing (they run about a half-size big), it was the owner of the company that returned the call and was willing to talk details. How’s that for customer service?
Jumpin’ in, those penny loafers are great.
Love all my Leather…men? I got a tiny Squirt PS4 for my keychain last month and I’ve already used it a dozen times or so.
Leather daddy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZr8bbKxYrE
I have the architect’s wallet and it’s great! Let me also add that Shawn is a top-notch guy and goes above and beyond with customer service even after you buy his products.
It looks like I’m the only one commenting on this portion of the article, but I gotta say +1 to Freakonomics and say thank you for econtalk. I had been looking for a podcast like this to listen on my drive to and from work. Much thanks!
Econtalk has an archive of all of their past podcasts and you can search them by category. Roberts has provided, over several years, one of the most comprehensive accounts of the 2008 financial crisis.
Just wanted to put another plug in for the architect’s wallet–this thing is fantastic. Sometime I wish I would have had during college. Excellent design, great leather, and Shawn seems like a great guy.
well, your last sentence is 2/3 right–it’s a great design, and the leather is awesome…..