Ulus House by Designist in Istanbul, Turkey

Project: Ulus House
Architects: Designist
Location: Ulus, Istanbul, Turkey
Area: 2,583 sq ft
Photography: Kadir Asnaz Photography

Ulus House by Designist

Located in a prestigious residential district of Istanbul, the Ulus House is designed with a minimal approach, using valuable furniture of its time and creating an elegant setting for the client's art collection.

The project involved reimagining the interior of a private villa owned by a collecting family. Situated in the upscale residential area of Ulus, Istanbul, the villa offers a stunning view of the Bosphorus. The layout of the spacious living room is highly symmetrical, with two columns dividing the space into three main sections and narrow alcoves created at both ends. The house design focuses on minimalism, using valuable and significant furniture pieces of its time, as well as creating an elegant atmosphere for the art collection.

Upon entering the living room, you ascend a half-step from the entrance door. The wide glass finish with a view of the Bosphorus resembles an artistic frame, becoming part of each section of the spacious living room. The two columns located directly in the center serve as dividers for the three parts of the living room.

In the design process, these two columns were carefully planned to stand out yet remain unobtrusive within the overall concept. Therefore, special metal panels were used to decorate these two columns, making them unique in appearance and inviting touch. These special metal panels are a product of De Castelli, made with special processing of the metal sheet, creating an exciting gradient from anthracite to blue color with various tones in between. When combined with indirect lighting above, cutting the ceiling, these two columns became an unobtrusive central element of the space.

One of the first important decisions for home renovation was re-polishing and refinishing the existing dark red mahogany parquet to make it a darker brown color, uniting the space and allowing the artworks to stand out in an understated interior. On two opposite sides of the living room are two functional spaces—one designed for a fireplace and another for a specially designed mini-bar area.

On the fireplace side, the existing basalt wall was restored using textured gray stone tiles to refresh its old appearance. Once the fireplace wall was covered, we designed installing thin shelves for displaying the family's collection of books and artworks. On the left side, within the narrow fireplace alcove, a wall lamp by Serge Mouille (1953) was placed to balance the asymmetrical wall with its powerful design, serving as a piece of art on the wall that creates dramatic lighting at night. In this area, adding dark mirrored panels on the ceiling gave depth to this narrow part of the living room space, reflecting the image of a beautiful magnolia tree in the garden.

On the other side of the living room, the mini-bar zone is placed for preparing cocktails during home parties. The design of the mini-bar was made so that on regular days it is hidden behind thin tempered glass doors. At both ends, stone-covered doors create a concealed storage area for glasses and bottles to avoid drawing attention due to the disorderly appearance of bottles, glasses, and preparation.

All walls of the spacious living room were covered with fabric wallpaper, creating a soft and gentle background space for the giant and very valuable artworks of the family. The vibrant colors of the artworks add dynamism to the entire space.

The selection of furniture and lighting was made very carefully with high taste from the client, including some pieces from valuable furniture artifacts of important designers from the 1920s and 1950s. These include the well-known and very popular Naguchi coffee table by Isamu Noguchi, produced by Vitra. An elegant Totem lamp by Serge Mouille stands like a sculpture on one side of the corner. On the opposite side of the living room is Eileen Grey's Brick screen with an elegant form, captivating viewers and allowing a glimpse of the 1920s design by Eileen Grey. This well-known screen is more than just a divider; it possesses the presence of a sculpture in the living room.

- Project description and photographs provided by Designist