Nik Bentel

Get to know Nik Bentel, a multi-disciplinary designer, collector of the mundane, and inventor of the unexpected. He has a knack for shrinking, inflating and reimagining everyday objects. From farfalle to fully working speakers to the iconic Etch A Sketch tablet, he seems intent on turning anything and everything into a handbag.

We are here for it.

You, in a nutshell?

A design-obsessed person who believes objects tell stories.
Where is home?

Our studio in Greenpoint, New York.

What did you wanna be when you grow up?

I always wanted to make things! Whether it would be an engineer, architect or designer.
What did you become?

A designer-maker, launching Nik Bentel Studio, exploring what objects could be.
A turning point?

It was in college realizing how things got made and what it took to really explain what an object is and does, whether an object was for pure utility or more as a cultural object.

The best gift you ever received?

My girlfriend commissioned an artpiece by our good friend Katelyn Ledford, a trompe-l’œil still life made from objects that represent us both.
The best gift you ever gave?

We made a custom handbag for Pinkpantheress which mixed music.

Your most prized possession?

Currently, it is our Big Bulls Eye Dart board, so its easy to win.
The ugliest item you own and dearly love?

My metro card collection. Its not fancy but I love collecting NYC memorabilia, and the MetroCard is going to be stopped being produced.
A coveted yet clearly unaffordable item?

A Porsche, any Porsche.