INTERVIEW: Artist Dakota Pratt Dishes On His Modern Style

Award-winning contemporary design artist, Dakota Redington Pratt will be making his Hamptons debut this summer at the Maison Hamptons show this August. With a one-of-a-kind style, Pratt has excelled in the field of modern design by utilizing vintage bottle caps, wood and metal to create functional and beautiful works of art.

The designer had his breakthrough moment after graduating. “I thought, why not make a sculpture and get crazy and cover the whole thing with caps,” Pratt said. “So that’s what I did and it took off.”

Coming from a family of leading artists, Pratt earned a BA from the Columbus College of Art and Design and has excelled in his work and now travels throughout the country showcasing his dynamic designs. “I build everything up out of wood and then carve it down. The caps are just the finish to my wooden sculpture,” he explained.

One of Pratt’s newest designs, a metallic bench which combines aspects of furniture with those of art and sculpture. (Photo: Instagram/dakotapratt)

Growing up traveling from art show to art show with his parents, Pratt has always lived the life of an artist. After leaving his childhood home in Ohio, he spent almost seven years living in California and the Los Angeles area until finally settling in Austin Texas a year and a half ago – although he’s constantly on the road showing his work throughout the country.

Always being on the move and driving everywhere is one of Pratt’s biggest struggles, however it gives him plenty of time to brainstorm. “When I’m driving around by myself I have nothing to do but think, and I find myself thinking of everyday things to make pretty. I don’t really plan it,” Pratt said.

Currently, Pratt’s most popular pieces are oversized and larger sculptures of different fruits and one of the most popular of the year was a bacon and egg table set. “When I first stared with fruit I did a giant banana on a spring, I got the idea from a banana boat in Cabo [San Lucas] 5 years ago,” Pratt said. “That’s what set everything off – it has a really great response.”

Within the coming months Pratt dished that he will be making three additional bacon and egg sets as well as a cactus and a broccoli stalk that were special ordered. He also let Hamptons.com in on a few of his next big ideas – an octopus and a modern bistro set.

Pratt’s banana sculpture on a spring. (Photo: Instagram/dakotapratt)

The wooden, cap-covered bistro set, which will feature nearly 200 wooden disks stacked in a twirl, and the octopus sculpture, which will sit on a large ring with its tentacles made of exposed plywood, are sure to be extraordinary and unlike anything you’ve seen before. Pratt didn’t know exactly when they would be finished, but said he hoped to showcase the new items in the Hamptons, should time allow it.

Pratt’s showcase at this year’s Maison Hamptons show is sure to turn heads and introduce the Hamptons to his unique style full of color and energy. The Maison Hamptons show will be held from Wednesday, August 13 through Sunday, August 17, 2014, at The Elks Lodge Outdoor Fair and Exhibition Grounds.

The Elks Lodge Outdoor Fair and Exhibition Grounds is located at 605 County Road 39 in Southampton. For more information about Maison Hamptons, visit www.maisonhamptons.com.