Quick Takes With: Sean W. Spellman
“I consider myself more of an artist,” Sean Spellman told us a few months back, when we chatted with him about building his one-time wine bar/gathering space, Dawnlands, and everything in it from scratch. But the Rhode Island-based musician and maker is truly a multi-hyphenate, and he applies his artist’s perspective to everything he does, from his works on paper to his band, Quiet Life; from Westerly Sound, the music festival he started in RI, right down to the Airbnb he designed with his partner, the musician My Larsdottir.
He has his hands full. Sean writes: “I’m working on expanding Dawnlands, my former arts venue and wine bar. We are looking for locations and partners who want to do something that involves hospitality, wellness, a music venue, and hopefully agriculture. I want to create more spaces that encourage creative pursuits and that bring diverse groups of people together and that uplift the communities they exist in.” Amidst it all, he writes in with the podcast he has on in the background, great sheets, and the book on his nightstand right now. Read on:
Above: Sean at Dawnlands.
You’re invited to dinner. What’s your go-to gift?
A bottle of Scar of the Sea Palomino wine
What’s on your bedside table?
How Music Works by David Byrne
What’s your desert island design/art/architecture-related book?
A Pattern Language
Above: Tables and artwork by Sean. Photograph by Lushi Song from Expert Advice: Sean Spellman on Building from Scratch.
What podcast or playlist do you put on when you need inspiration?
Tetragrammaton by Rick Rubin
What’s a film or TV show whose aesthetic has stuck with you?
Wonder Years
Which Instagram account do you go to for design inspiration?
Remodelista, Equator, Nowness
What has been your best house upgrade?
Our wood-burning stove
A simple or budget-friendly design move you wish you’d known sooner?
The local sawmill and Ikea hacks.
Above: The bedroom at Sean’s RI Airbnb. Photography by Nick Ventura from Summer Sounds: A Pair of Musicians’ Effortlessly Cool Redone Cape in Westerly, RI.
My favorite sheets are…
My favorite paint color for the bedroom is…
Some creamy white
Your design pet peeve?
Most things with plastic
Three words that describe my design style:
Simple bare necessities
What item from your closet do you have on repeat?
What is the last thing you purchased for your house?
Driveway salt and a heat lamp
Above: Sean, My, and fam in the garden a few years back. Photograph by Nick Ventura from Summer Sounds: A Pair of Musicians’ Effortlessly Cool Redone Cape in Westerly, RI.
Something you’re coveting?
Time with my kids on the loving room rug.
I don’t leave the house without…
A snack.
First design love?
Thanks so much, Sean! You can follow his work @seanwspellman and @dawnlnds on Instagram and at seanwspellman.com.
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