Interviews with Fulden Topaloglu

I love creating, producing something new, be it a photograph, a sculpture or a functional piece of design. During my undergraduate years, I started to realize that being inside a process of creativity gives me more joy and purpose in life. So I decided to follow this calling and after I completed my bachelors degree in engineering I decided to become a designer and studied industrial design.

Throughout my professional life I had the chance to carry out a wide range of design projects for companies from different industrial sectors, like furniture, accessories, home textiles, packaging, jewelry, food, houseware, textiles. And one of the things I love about my profession is this diversity, diversity in projects, diversity in needs, diversity in approaches… And I love designing different works: furniture, textiles, home accessories, packaging… I believe this variety and the mere act of moving between different projects and mediums keeps a designer more fresh, creative and motivated. I would definitely love to design more home accessories and would love to design lighting.

I believe in order to evolve into a good designer they should be really hardworking, curious, and persistent when it comes to realizing their creations, projects and visions. I believe these are more differentiating factors than creativity, because although it may be in different degrees, all of us have creativity inside of us and with the right tools and processes creativity can be unlocked. So hard work, the curiosity to fuel continual learning and persistence are the three critical ingredients that will turn them into good designers.

I see all man-made things as acts of communication. That’s why I think a design is good if it can make a strong connection with the people it is intended for, if it can make an honest, functional and authentic communication, if it can arouse the feelings of well-being, joy and inspiration while functioning smoothly.

Our current social mentalities are more inclined to evaluate and emphasize the value of good design through its economic value. Although this is highly critical, I believe we should first remember to see the value of good design in terms of its contribution to well-being. Good design has the power to make life easier, meaningful, smooth, engaging, joyful, both functionally and emotionally. Our relationship with objects, spaces, systems shape and define our capabilities, our thought structures, our feelings. And design is our tool to shape, re-define and enhance the totality of this man made world. When we look from this point, we should definitely invest in good design as good design honors and empowers life.

I have this dream project of realizing a completely organic and environmental packaging line. I hope I get the chance to realize it one day with a passionate team.

I do not believe in one secret ingredient. Success results from a delicate combination/balance of many factors. I would say these are for me curiosity, passion, hard work and persistence.

Hans Wagner, Paul Kjaerholm, Isamu Noguchi... There are so many, yet when I hear the word design masters these are the first names that come to my mind without any hesitation.

The wishbone chair by Hans Wagner, Masculo chair by Gam Fratesi, Kartio Pitcher by Kaj Frank, 25 Lamp by Kovac Family and Nordic Light candleholder by Jonas Grundell are some of my favorite designs. They all share a functional elegance and simplicity that is strong yet poetic.

I can’t pick a favorite but looking back I can say that with some of my designs I have a different and stronger relationship. Sama stool from my Sama furniture collection, my Ege kilim series and Mardin necklace are 3 of those. Sama and Mardin take their inspiration from cultural heritage yet I think they both manage to translate this cultural context into a totally new and contemporary expression. Whereas Ege kilim series is a tribute to my love for the Aegean & Mediterranean sea and geography; where I took my admiration for the visual and emotional expressiveness of the sea surface and turned it into a kilim rug series that aim to bring the aura of the sea into the interior space.

If I hadn't become a designer I would have become a sculptor.

Design is this wonderful tool we have in order to shape and curate our life experiences, from the tiniest apparatus to the larger systems. If we use this tool with care, focusing on empowerment, well-being and inspiration, it turns into a powerful tool to enhance our humanity.

Studio Kali is an award-winning multidisciplinary design studio based in Istanbul. We provide design services ranging from product design, furniture design, packaging design, to design strategy and branding. We see ourselves as a channel that turns creativity and design skills into skillfully crafted products, projects and experiences that deliver meaningful value. We simply love creating!
Beginning with 2019 we also launched our first product collection, with the desire to build a meaningful and inspirational brand for living spaces.

Design is this wonderful tool we have in order to shape and curate our life experiences, from the tiniest apparatus to the larger systems. If we use this tool with care, focusing on empowerment, well-being and inspiration, it turns into a powerful tool to enhance our humanity.

One of the things that I love about my profession is its diversity, diversity in projects, diversity in needs, diversity in approaches… That’s why I love designing different works: furniture, textiles, home accessories, packaging… I believe this variety and the mere act of moving between different projects and mediums keeps a designer more fresh, creative and motivated.

I can’t pick a favourite but looking back I can say that with some of my designs I have a different and stronger relationship. Sama stool from my Sama furniture collection, my Ege kilim series and Mardin necklace are 3 of those.
Sama and Mardin take their inspiration from cultural heritage yet I think they both manage to translate this cultural context into a totally new and contemporary expression. Whereas Ege kilim series is a tribute to my love for the Aegean & Mediterranean sea and geography; where I took my admiration for the visual and emotional expressiveness of the sea surface and turned it into a kilim rug series that aim to bring the aura of the sea into the interior space.

The first thing that I designed for a company was a vacuum insulated thermal jug, but the company decided not to make the investment in this new accessory range, so the design did not reach production. The first thing that I designed for a company that got produced was a chocolate bar.

My favorite material is wood. I have a different emotional bond with it. Yet I love all natural materials; metal, ceramics, natural textiles…

I feel the most creative when I get inspired by something outside myself. This can happen when I experience a beautiful moment in nature, or when I immerse myself in experiencing art, looking at an art form, watching a documentary… It’s as if this creation whether natural or man-made speaks to my soul, getting in touch with me and awakening a source of creative energy inside me.

Designing is a search for balance and the way you balance different aspects changes from project to project, based on objectives, function, the brand, etc. Yet I can say that the most common aspect that I focus in all my designs is achieving a functional simplicity that is timeless and that forms an emotional bond with the user.

Excitement, curiosity, fear, joy, confusion, more joy… not necessarily in this order:)

Definitely joy, gratefulness and a huge excitement and hunger to create new things! It’s like this wonderful re-charge you get after spending hours, days, months of effort in every single detail, curve, material, color. And voila there it is in flesh and bone!

I see all man-made things as acts of communication. That’s why I think a design is successful if it can make a strong connection with the people it is intended for, if it can make an honest, functional and authentic communication, if it can arouse the feelings of well-being, joy and inspiration.

Does the design have integrity? By this I mean are the choices regarding materials, forms, colors, details in harmony and contribute to the overall integrity of the design.

We spend a huge percentage of our time in the manmade world. We produce it and in turn we are reproduced by it. Our relationship with objects, spaces, systems shape and define our capabilities, our thought structures, our feelings. And design is the tool we have at hand to shape, re-define and enhance the totality of the manmade world. As designers, who have a stronger say in shaping this man-made world, we should be extra responsible about our design decisions, prioritizing well-being, empowerment and the wellness of the society and environment.

As we are faced with increasing global challenges before us, I see a growing awareness regarding design’s role regarding tackling social and environmental problems. I believe this will make the design field become much more conscious and active regarding our footprint in nature and the ethical dimensions of design. Future designers will definitely have to be more conscious and ethical decision makers, taking more responsibility for how our design decisions are shaping the future we want to create.
We will also see design’s and design thinking’s influence moving more and more beyond the borders of traditional design disciplines to strategy, systems thinking, policy making, urban planning, together with a larger blurring of boundaries between different design disciplines like product design, graphic design, interface design, etc.

My last exhibition took place on November 21-24, 2019 in Istanbul in the context of a 4 day event organized by Maison Française Turkey and Tomtom Designhood. I was going to hold my next exhibition during Milan Design Week 2020 but since it got cancelled, I hope to hold my next exhibition in Milan Design Week 2021.

Nature and art! I love experiencing nature and all forms of art, particularly photography, sculpture and painting. For me experiencing nature and art is the entryway to inspiration.

I would describe my approach to design as a search for functional simplicity, timelessness, emotional expressiveness and meaning. I focus on designing objects, products and experiences that stand out with their simplicity and refined design language, where responsible use of materials and longevity are also among my major aims.
In addition to these main characteristics, specifically in Studio Kali’s own product collection, I focus on uniting my design approach with craft sensibilities and cultural cues. I search for ways of translating precious craft practices and cultural contexts into products that carry their spirit and sensibilities in terms of techniques and artisanship, yet that establish their own contemporary expression.

I live and work in Istanbul. The cultural and geographical heritage of Turkey has a huge place in my designs. Besides their subconscious effects, I consciously choose to base the starting point of many of my design work on these cultural and geographical inspirations. Especially in Studio Kali’s (my design studio) product collection my country's cultural heritage, craft traditions and natural geography are my key sources of inspiration. For example, Ege and Yakamoz collections are a homage to the Aegean & Mediterranean sea and geography. Whereas Sama furniture series take its inspiration from the traditional clothing worn in Sufi ceremonies. Mardin necklace references two precious craft traditions that have been practiced in this geography since the centuries: telkari and stone carving.
I am grateful for living in a country that is so dense and rich with cultural heritage, craft traditions and practices. This is definitely a huge and priceless advantage. Yet the con of designing in Turkey is that although we are a huge economy, we do not have a strong one. This overarching reality definitely affects the design scene, its productivity as well as the demand for design in a negative way.

When I collaborate with companies, I focus on the needs of the project and the company characteristics and design the workflow and objectives according to these needs.

I think transparent and effective communication and commitment to the success of the company-designer relationship is at least as important as the choice of the designer. Good design outcomes come from a good company-designer relationship. I would definitely suggest having clear objectives regarding the design project and communicating these objectives to the designer from the beginning.

Anatolian kilim weaving traditions are very rich with the traditional Anatolian kilims having their own set of symbols, colors, weaving techniques. In my kilim collection I wanted to continue the artistry, the process and the soul of these traditions as they are while modernizing the designs with a more contemporary aesthetic reflecting the sensuality of the sea surface. By keeping the weaving process and the materials traditional, I believe the results achieved just the right balance I was looking for.

When establishing Studio Kali, I had summarized the values and principles on which I wanted the studio to operate on. Supporting craftsmanship and local industry, being unique, timeless, honest, sustainable and ethical, as well as uniting the worlds of crafts, art, culture and nature through design were three major principles I has set for the studio. Therefore the decision to produce using traditional craft methods was just an extension of these principles and values. Besides, I really believe in the transformational power of craft production, transforming both the craft-person and the outcome of that craft and infusing it with a soul that mechanical modes of production can not replicate. My personal interest in and respect for craft based techniques was also a major factor.

After finding may photographs of the sea surface as well as using some of the photographs I took, I played with the curves, the color transitions and later selected a group of these sketches. Then came the part where I played with organizing these curves in different ways and variations with the ultimate aim of capturing the poetry and sensuality these movements create on the human psyche.

Each weaver is given the original design with the exact curves, colors and dimensions stated on the sheet. They are instructed to stay as loyal as they can be to the design they see on paper. At the beginning I was a little worried that the results would deviate too much from the original so as to lose its appeal but it was and it still is so fascinating to see that although the curves and their dimensions change from one weaver to the other, the end result always stays true to the total perception and sense of the original design. You really have to get two pieces next to each other and strictly look for the differences to understand that they are actually different. And I am so happy that this adds so much meaning and poetry to the final outcome. Just as no two snapshots of the sea surface can never be exactly the same but nevertheless they do reflect the same sensation and visual quality, no two kilim rugs are exactly the same and yet they embody the total perception and sense of the original design.

As long as I have known myself I always think, design and work with options, variations. At the beginning this made me a bit frustrated as I really have a very hard time when I have to choose one single design, one single option, one single color. Then I decided that there was also a very positive side to this mode of thinking and operating and decided to apply this to my designs by offering variations for different use situations, different tastes, different contexts. In almost all of my design work, I continue applying this versatility, there are always a number of variations and alternatives and I really like this as it also answers a practical need.

The play and documentation with sea surfaces gave me quite a lot of time to think on how to finalize the designs and the village visits and seeing the weavers, the weaving processes served as a means of testing how the design would translate to the final outcomes. They both contributed immensely to the finalization of the design.

I just hope that it can be an inspiration for designers that are interested in the richness of traditional, craft-based production techniques but are hesitant regarding how they can use these methods to produce contemporary and modern design.

As I have mentioned, at the start I was worried that the nature of craft production could change the design and this had the risk of deviating from the final outcome that I was looking for but to my surprise, in Ege collection this was never the case. Yet I see that this is a byproduct of the mastery of the craftspeople, in this case the weavers. When you work with weavers that are masters of their craft, they bring much more to the table where the design and production process turns into a beautiful process of co-creation.

I would suggest them to go and learn as much as they can about the traditions and techniques. Besides being so enriching, inspiring and fun, this process of observing and learning about the crafts starts to change the way you think about design and influences your thought processes. This helps you to find various ways to better merge the traditional with the contemporary.