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TRAVELLER
|
87
BUSINESS
|
ISTANBUL
Clockwise from left
,
design duo Seyhan
Özdemir and Sefer
Ç
aglar; their Nest
Lounge chair; one of
the interiors at the
House Café Corner,
Istanbul; their first
overseas project,
208 Duecento
Otto restaurant, in
Hong Kong
factors closer to home – Mushroom tables resembling
toadstools, Nest Lounge chairs that cocoon the sitter,
Starfish tables with pedestals referencing the sea
creature and Spider lamps casting spindly shadows
– all take inspiration from nature. And as Istanbul
natives, Özdemir and Çaglar are also naturally drawn
to its rich Byzantine and Ottoman history. “The city’s
beautiful heritage cannot be ignored,” says Özdemir.
But the pair are very keen to push things
forward too. Indeed, Autoban’s dazzling creations
are both fuelled by, and emblematic, of Istanbul’s
burgeoning oh-so-cool credentials. In recent years,
the city has morphed from a provincial capital
suffused in memories of the Ottoman era into a
worldly metropolis. The past decade has seen an
contradictions and unexpectedness influence us”