movin’ on

to anyone who stops by this blog: if it seems deserted, it is. The address to my new blog is:

www.pkafka.com

Thanks. I hope you guys enjoy my new blog as much as I have enjoyed working with WordPress on this one.

-pk

mY chair – the brits are sitting pretty

The mY chair, Timothy Schreiber’s modern rendition of the average looking home necessity has made the folding chair a functional home accessory.

The chairs, which are brushed aluminum, come in a variety of colors; and like most of their modernly designed counterparts, have very clean lines.

Schreiber, a London based designer, is contributing to a British creative scene that seems to be sophisticating at a rate which has the rest of the world’s musicians, designers and artists in a constant state of panic. As of now, it seems that most creative territory is being claimed by the Brits.

Tall-e-ho.

-pk

dna11 – invest in finger painting

An art collection is a personal thing; dna11 understands that. In fact, their company is built around that philosophy.

Their mantra summarizes exactly what they do, “From Life Comes Art.” Although broadly, that maxim explains the dna11 process. What the company does is obscenely unique.

As a customer, you have two options, you can either provide dna11 with a finger-print or with a DNA sample (they furnish you with finger-print and DNA kits), from there you decide on a color palate. After receiving the vitals, dna11 produces a work of art that incorporates either your finger-print or DNA make-up.

The results are a modern looking work of art that contains quite a story. The prices are very reasonable for a wall-hanging that is one-of-a-kind.

Finger-print prints (vary based on your thumb):

The DNA prints are a bit more abstract:

-pk

banksy – written up

My dad, an avid art fan with impeccable taste, recently introduced me to the work of Banksy, a British graffiti artist. Similar to the type of art my father usually collects, Banksy’s art is cutting edge; however contrary to my fathers taste, his art is abstract in meaning, not method.

Like most artists, Banksy is not well known; on the other hand, unlike most artists, Banksy prefers to remain anonymous. With the majority of his followers reporting that they don’t know who he is or what he looks like, it is safe to say that Banksy is an enigma.

Although he specializes in attractive and welcomed public vandalism, he also produces pieces for private collections. In April of 2007 one of his creations, entitled Space Girl and Bird, was auctioned by Sotheby’s for £288,000 ($576,000); unlike most people, Banksy refuses to embrace fame. A day prior to the sale of this work, Southeby’s succeded in auctioning off more of his pieces. In response to the absurd prices people paid, Banksy produced this work of art and posted it on the front page of his website. Be sure to check his website out.

Explore his collection, do some research, all his masterpieces rely on their location for much of their meaning. Here are some of my favorites (click to enlarge):

-pk

the wovin wall

After two years of dorm living, I am finally moving into an apartment. And as someone who has been confined to small, uninteresting spaces, I am excited about the prospect of making my room simply awesome.

Even though I am a minimalist (when it comes to design), I often find myself drawn to extra accents and certain touches that are unnecessary. Recently I ran into something called “the woven wall.”

I guess the product could either be called art or an accessory, or even both. I am going to put a picture up, and you can check out the link for further info. It is actually really hard for me to explain the entire concept… but when you see a good amount of pics, you will understand.

-pk

gnr8 – a well balanced collection

You might need to take a second and even third look at that lopsided plank of wood to actually recognize it; it is a bookshelf. At first glance the sleek and definitely unique library piece seems to resemble a playground favorite, the See-Saw. The bookshelf, which is honest in design, is also upfront about the inspiration behind it – it is in fact called the See-Saw bookshelf.

Generate, a Canadian lighting, furniture and home accessory provider, can take credit for the distribution of this book balancer; however the functionality of the piece was devised by BCXSY, a design duo from an unknown place ( you are going to have to do your own research on that).

I am glad I came across this nostalgic piece of functional art. However, what I am most excited about is my discovery of Generate (or gnr8). As stated above, gnr8 is a Canadian store that provides creative people with interesting decorative solutions.

They seem to specialize in unique lighting, and even have pieces of furniture that incorporate light in some way. It is hard to describe the collection, but I can say that they do have a good amount of innovative and beautiful things that every design driven person would appreciate.

Here is a desk that caught my eye. It is a modern rendition of the classic writing desk.

-pk

smashingmagazine – simply smashing

I guess you could call me a follower; or a poser; or just hopeful. I want to create my own website. Well not only do I want to, I am in the process of doing so (www.pkafka.com). You know, just a place to put my resume and portfolio.

I thought it would be easy. I am a minimalist. How hard could it be to design a simple website?

Contrary to most people’s beliefs, my trouble isn’t with the coding of the site (thanks to WYSIWYG) – it’s with the design. It’s really frigin hard to translate the ideas in my head to what is seen on the web.

In my frustration, I began seeking some guidance. In my search, I found Smashing magazine. This moderately good-looking website showcases hundreds more. If you are interested in graphic design or electronic aesthetics in general check out www.smashingmagazine.com.

For better and worse, it’ll have you wishing you had done what you find on the site.

happy designing!

-pk

the lomme bed

Believe it or not, that is a bed; and Lomme, a German design firm, was the creator.

The design, although unique, is nothing revolutionary. The shape of the bed is based off a classic – the egg. The company claims that the smooth lines are more than aesthetic elements; they insist that the shape coincides with “state of the art light and sound therapy, which remove outside disturbances and allow you to wake naturally feeling refreshed and full of energy.”

Therapeutic or not, buying this bed is not a decision I will have to sleep on. When it is available in the US, I am going to have to check it out, and price permitting, give it a go.

The bed also comes in white, purple, yellow and blue.

see for yourself:

http://www.lomme.com/

sweet dreams!

-pk

nespresso – capsules + coffee

As a 20-year-old, soon approaching official adulthood, I find myself very interested in the convention of becoming sophisticated. I constantly seek enlightening literature, study radical art and listen to the greats (Miles Davis, John Coltrane). Although I can often hold what seem to be decent conversations concerning these up-scale subjects, my newest attempt at “sophistafyzing” is the most noticed.

I recently purchased a Nespresso machine and even though I enjoy a nice shot of java, the idea of being able to provide my guests single servings of coffee in a futuristic manner really turned me on.

As a coffee machine, a Nespresso unit won me over with its unique function and clean form. The device uses coffee capsules (check out the website, tough to describe) that are packed with prime roast.

So far my money has been put to use. I have been enjoying the energy, aromas and acclaim that my Nespresso is giving me.

check it out:
www.Nespresso.com

-pk

umbra wine rack – functional art

I usually don’t plan my toasts ahead of time; however I am trying to manufacture the perfect speech to introduce my new Umbra wine rack…when it arrives. With August serving as the estimated release date, I will be ready, if need be (which I highly doubt), to wait in a “first to buy an iPhone” line for this bad boy.

With the impeccable style and simple service that this functional work of art provides, and with the hope that only a niche group, of select people will discover the truly awesome accessory, paying $150 for the six bottle rack won’t have me whining.

-pk

in full form: