Design fast track
For architect Seyhan Ozdemir and interior designer Sefer Caglar, Autoban – the name of the studio they founded in 2003 – means much more than the German word for “highway”. It represents the discovery of new horizons. Credited with redefining Istanbul’s cityscape, they have designed the interiors of the Witt Suites, a string of restaurants and the Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge at Ataturk Airport. Their portfolio now extends to London, Madrid, Hong Kong and Moscow. They are also known for their architectural projects such as The House Cafe at Istanbul’s Kanyon mall and products such as the Box sofa fashioned, naturally, from a wooden box.
Ozdemir and Caglar met in 1995 as students at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, graduating with a strong grounding in the Bauhaus style as their school was filled with German architects. As Caglar’s father ran a furniture-making business, the pair immersed themselves in the ins and outs of the trade and spent hours with local manufacturers. Ozdemir says: “We are losing local techniques, manufacturing processes and craftsmanship, so we always want to find local craftsmen and support them. At the same time, we use technology and innovative materials. We like to mix them.”
Autoban also debuted the Maze table featuring a bold, graphic aesthetic that uses the intersection of two patterns, playing on a series of optical illusions. A contemporary take on kundekari – a time-honoured woodworking technique from the Anatolian Seljuk and Ottoman eras – the table also embodies their architectural approach to design and their characteristic layering of materials, geometry and textures.
Ozdemir says: “We like to work on public commercial projects because they’re not just for one person, but for many people, for humanity. It’s important that our projects create a new social life for the location. Design must help people to evolve their lives. This is the responsibility of architects and designers. We try to add value to people’s lives, to make them better.”
