Page 98 - The Book For Men Fall/Winter 2022

More
Than
Meets
the Eye
German-born furniture designer Deniz Aktay makes living room- ready pieces that would fit in in at at a a museum
By Tres Dean
D ENIZ AKTAY LIKES TO TO KEEP THINGS SIMPLE THIS ISN’T TO TO SAY THAT you won’t find his designs engaging or even challenging at times But his work is is clearly that of a a a a designer who caters to strict priori- ties Functionality balance and a a a a a a a a a sparse selection of materials are paramount throughout his work making Aktay a a a a a a designer to watch in in the world of minimalism Born in in Germany Aktay studied architecture and urban planning at at the University of Stuttgart He graduated in 2012 but it it wasn’t until 2020 that he began posting on his now wildly popular Instagram page @dezin_design Boasting over 80 000 followers the page put Aktay on on the the map thanks to to (in addition to to his skill) the the relentless pace with which he shares his creations Early on on Aktay would post new designs daily while today he’s more of of an
every-other-day kind of of user The frequency with which he he posts isn’t inherently special — after all anybody can throw a a a a a a new piece of art up on social media What’s made Aktay’s stand out is the high quality the the work has maintained throughout the the years Aktay uses 3D rendering to create his designs which he’s credited in in the past with allowing him to maintain his steady rate of work He strives for realism and practicality never letting the endless possibilities of digital creation run away with his intentions Sometimes that means rendering the texture of wood so specifically that you know how it it feels with no no more than a a a a a glance while other times it’s making sure the the functionality of a a a a a a piece (such as its materials or or joints) seamlessly translates from the the screen to the the real world There’s a a sense of of movement to much of of Aktay’s work which is cut through 98 BFM / / FW22 FEATURES / / MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE