Bobby Solomon

Instagram has introduced me to a lot of interesting, new designers and one recent favorite is Peculiar Familia. Headed up by Carlo Jensen, the Australian designer recently launched a new project in the form of Ban Ban Bar & Chicken, a new restaurant in Adelaide serving cold beer and Korean fried chicken. Peculiar Familia was responsible for the branding and graphics, and the eateries playful identity revolves “around a custom pixel font designed to echo the tile interior. Totally in love with the italic pixel font, it’s a sheer pleasure to look at.

In recent years, the art form has started to be reconsidered, though the primary theories of shape, line, and form still ring true. Studio Brasch, led by Anders Brasch-Willumsen, has been posting some interesting pieces on their Instagram called “Digibana,” which are described as a “futuristic ikebana practice where moments of beauty are created and preserved only by a constant stream of likes and shares. If ikebana is informed by modern and emphasizes a connection to nature, can that nature truly be represented digitally? I do like that Brasch-Willumsen’s explorations range the gamut from realistic to synthetic, crafting these delicate objects which are beautifully unnatural.

The label is the brainchild of musicians Axel Boman, Petter Nordkvist and Kornél Kovács, all great electronic artists in their own right, who support other great musicians. There are few tracks I’d call out specifically: The first is Sofia Kourtesis’ smooth house number ‘WinWin San,’ which sounds like driving through countryside with all windows down in the spring. DJ Koze makes an appearance on ‘Hawaiian Soldier,’ a smattering of stuttering, trippy samples which makes you feel like you’ve had too many daiquiris on the beach. Finally there’s the Piano Version of Axel Boman’s ‘Forgot About You,’ a dreamy tune that feels like it could be an old classic.

Then I see inspiring works like Casa Bosques, a chocolate project from Savvy Studio, which makes me really want do make some left-field works. The bar was made in honor of the magazine’s 10 year anniversary, and in true apartamento form, features a photo of a toilet taken by Katarina Šoški? . On the inside is the trademark pattern that adorns the side of the magazine which really makes this feel like a perfect, honest collaboration. Speaking to the flavors, they’ve picked some really unique takes like Shiitake Mushroom and Puffed Quinoa, or the Pink Peppercorn which I’ve bought.