Good design responds to the emotions of the end-user

In a conversation with Vikas Bhadra, Asli Arikan Dayioğlu, Founder and Interior Architect of Designist implies good design aims to provide a creative resolution that responds to the client’s psyche. 

“As a matter of fact, from the first days of my interior architecture education, one of my influencer architects has been the famous İtalian architect Carlo Scarpa. Scarpa’s architecture manages to respect the old and historic while simultaneously introducing new and modern design details,” says Asli Arikan Dayioğlu, Founder and Interior Architect of Designist, an award-winning design firm which she founded in 2007. 

After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design in the USA, I worked with Sinan Kafadar, one of the most famous architects of Turkey for 7 years. His design approach helped me learn a lot about hospitality design. However, it took some time for me to start my own firm. After 7 years, I redirected my creative energies towards ceramic designing when my previous employer approached me with a hotel project I couldn’t refuse. It was my affiliation with this project that inspired me to start ‘Designist’ my own boutique design firm. 

“Design to me is more than just a profession. It is much more beyond form and function, it is not only formed, nor is its function alone. Even as a professional there are numerous factors to look at beyond form and function. Much of which has to do with the emotion of the end-user and how they want to feel in a given space.”

“As an experienced design firm, we use our technical and creative know-how to create the first draft. Since designing is an ongoing process, as we work, the draft changes and develops many times before it is presented to the client. Thereafter we evaluate the project together on the basis of the client’s critics and comments and come up with solutions desired. As challenge-loving designers, it is always exciting for us to get feedback from the client, make changes and ensure it falls in line with the design utopia he wants to create.”

“With each client, this exercise has its own challenges. We value the client’s input, however, if the client does not value our input, it creates a complex situation, this is especially true with clients who want to control every single design detail of the project. Another challenge we come across is in the case of huge projects. Sometimes the client segregates the project among multiple contractors to pace up. However, this causes a clash of different styles in one project, since every firm has their own signature.”

Despite the challenges, Team Designist went on to design numerous projects which emphasize the intricacies and the beauty of good design. Among the different projects we have designed, the Museum Hotel in Antakya, Titanic Hotel Chaussestrasse in Berlin has gotten a lot of attention even from our media friends. One of our newest projects is a Design Hotel project in London, likewise, we are also working with the Hilton Group for Urfa Doubletree Hotel and Canakkale Doubletree Hotel then there is Hotel Lamartine, a project based in Taksim in Istanbul.” 

“Lately our ‘Balance Spa’ project made it to the finals at Ahead Mea 2020 under Best Spa & Wellness category. We also won the ‘Best Bathroom Design Award’ at European Property Awards for a bathroom we designed for Meydan Mall. As a professional, these awards mean a lot to me and my firm. The fact that our design sense is being appreciated globally offers a great deal of professional and personal gratification.”

“At this point, I have to add that this syntax of creativity has a lot to do with the kind of exposure we as professionals get, from in and around the world. From India, Charles Correa is one architect whose works are ahead of his time. A reflection of his out-of-the-box and progressive thinking is evident in his two projects which I adore a lot, the two projects are Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur and The British Council in Delhi. Much of the global design exposure also happens via events, it allows us to stay updated on design trends in vogue and cite newer products to recommend to our clients. We recently attended Milano Design Week in September with our crew. After a Covid-19 induced hiatus, we were quite excited and eager to discover and gratify our creative appetite for newer design trends.”

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