Topkapi Sideboard by Yilmaz Dogan is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Silver A' Design Award in Furniture Design Competition Category.
SilverFurniture· 2025
Topkapi Sideboard
by Yilmaz Dogan
Client: QZENS Furniture
Silver A' Design Award Winner in Furniture Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #168210The Design
About Topkapi Sideboard
Topkapi is a sideboard that blends traditional woodworking with modern technology. Its design features geometric motifs rooted in Turkish-Islamic art and Anatolian heritage, drawing inspiration from Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. Crafted with high-quality lacquer, natural wood, brass details, and patina brushed copper, the piece integrates Cnc precision with artisanal handcrafting to connect historical tradition with contemporary production methods.
The Recognition
About the Silver A' Design Award
Topkapi Sideboard is a Silver A' Design Award winner, an extraordinarily prestigious recognition granted to top-of-the-line, gorgeous, and impressive designs. Silver winners are tremendously brilliant and exceedingly creative works that illustrate the outstanding expertise, talent, and acuity of their designers. Topkapi Sideboard is expected to be a wonderful, showpiece work that is remarkably professional and profoundly innovative. This Silver A' Design Award-winning design is a highly notable, admired invention that benefits and advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Topkapi Sideboard is a vastly envied creation that evokes desires, introduces positive feelings, and sparks amazement and wonderment.
Where to Get It
Luxury Furniture with Turkish Heritage
We craft exceptional furniture pieces that blend centuries-old Turkish geometric patterns with cutting-edge production technology. Our award-winning designs transform traditional woodworking into contemporary luxury for discerning collectors.
Explore CollectionInterviews
Grand Interview
Your innovative fusion of geometric patterns from Turkish-Islamic art with modern production techniques in the Topkapi Sideboard is remarkable - could you walk us through how you translated these historical motifs into contemporary furniture design?
When designing the Topkapi Sideboard, I was fascinated by the intricate geometry found in Turkish-Islamic art, especially the Zencerek border motifs and the layered Mukarnas forms. My goal was to reinterpret these deeply symbolic patterns using modern methods, so they could be appreciated not only as decorative references but as part of the structure itself. Through CNC carving, we gave these motifs physical depth, while still preserving their rhythmic elegance. It was a way to bridge time, honoring centuries-old design language within a contemporary, functional form.
The six blue front legs of the Topkapi Sideboard draw inspiration from the Blue Mosque's minarets - what motivated you to incorporate this architectural element, and how does it enhance both the aesthetic and functional aspects of the piece?
The six blue legs are a subtle homage to the Blue Mosque’s iconic minarets. These architectural forms have always struck me with their vertical clarity and balance. I wanted to translate that same presence into the base of the sideboard, not only for visual reference but also to lift the structure gracefully. Functionally, the legs provide solid support while visually lightening the mass of the piece. Their color was carefully chosen to echo the deep blue Iznik tiles found in Ottoman architecture, bringing a serene yet bold accent to the design.
The three-dimensional depth achieved on the Topkapi Sideboard's doors through combined CNC machining and handcraftsmanship is intriguing - could you elaborate on the specific challenges and breakthroughs in developing this hybrid production technique?
Combining CNC carving with hand-finishing was both challenging and rewarding. The geometric patterns required high precision to look consistent across panels, so we started with digital modeling and CNC milling to define the structure. But to avoid a flat, mechanical finish, each piece was then hand-sanded and softened to bring out a more natural texture. Aligning these two processes took time, we had to recalibrate tools to avoid damaging delicate edges. In the end, this hybrid method allowed us to highlight the depth and character of each motif in a way that felt both crafted and contemporary.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Topkapi is a sideboard design that combines traditional woodworking techniques, which feature motifs inspired by geometric patterns dating back thousands of years and holding significant importance in Turkish Islamic art, with modern technology, resulting in finely crafted cover surfaces.
The motifs, carrying the rich heritage of Anatolian architecture and Turkish Islamic art, add a mystical and unique touch of the East to your living space. - Dimensions & Packaging
- Width: 221 cm, Height: 80 cm, Depth: 50 cm.
- Tags
- Focal, Bookcase, Neoclassic, Art Deco, Asymmetry, Wood, Brass, Modern, Elegant, Architecture
- Production Technology
- The body of Topkapi is crafted from high-quality lacquer and natural wood surfaces, shaped with Cnc technology. Geometric patterns on the doors are created through precision cutting and handcraftsmanship, adding depth and rich texture. The interior features a lacquer finish, with red tones enhancing the luxurious, mystical Eastern ambiance. Tapered legs have brass detailing, while the perforated top panel, made of patina-brushed copper, is meticulously handcrafted by skilled artisans.
- Design Challenge
- The greatest challenge of this design was to seamlessly blend traditional woodworking craftsmanship with modern production techniques. The three-dimensional sense of depth on the doors was successfully achieved through the combination of Cnc machining and handcraftsmanship. The brass details used in the leg structure, inspired by the foot designs of Ottoman palace furniture, bring together the past and the future through its design language.
- Research
- Topkapi is the result of an in-depth research process that explores the intricate geometric patterns and woodworking traditions of Islamic architecture. The "Mukarnas" and "Zencerek" patterns, commonly used in Ottoman and Seljuk architecture, have been elaborated in the design and reinterpreted through Cnc machining technology.
- Inspiration
- The decorative style of geometric ornamentation, based on different geographies and cultures, particularly advanced with the development of geometry knowledge in Egypt and Sumer. The geometric pattern and ornamentation style reached its peak in Islamic civilizations, symbolizing the infinite nature of the universe. Named after Topkapi Palace, where these patterns were used on walls, it draws inspiration from the six-minaret Blue Mosque for the design of its six blue front legs with brass tips.
- Project Duration
- The design process of the Topkapi sideboard began in June 2022 in the garden of Topkapi Palace on Istanbul's historic peninsula, marking the beginning of a creative journey. After an extensive development phase, it was completed and produced in Ankara in February 2023.
- Operation Flow
- Topkapi creates an emotional connection by taking the user on a historical and cultural journey.
The Cnc machined door surfaces provide a tactile sense of depth. The door mechanism features a soft-opening system for smooth operation. With a spacious four-door storage area, it offers a perfect balance of functionality and aesthetics. The interior shelf system is optimized for items of varying heights. A centrally located wide drawer provides ideal storage for small and valuable items. - Image Credits
- A. Murat ARIK
Erinç ULUSOY
Giray AYDOS
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