Fulden Topaloğlu explains the history of the collection and its personal significance: “As a child growing up on the Aegean coast, a visit to the archaeological sites of the ancient amphitheatreswas an indispensable traditionduring the family summer holidays . The sight of those majestic remains of antiquity always left me in awe, the sensations received by the soul of the child that I was then, overwhelmed my capacity for comprehension. Looking back, I must add that those sensations have changed only a little. The Arkhe collection is my personal homage to those magical ruins of my childhood memories and to all the history, culture and myths that whisper to our collective consciousness“.

The Arkhe collection is an elegant combination of functionality, simplicity and sculptural stance. The natural beauty of travertine, exquisite craftsmanship and inspiration from the impressive amphitheatres of yesteryear give this collection its timeless appeal. The design plays with geometry, creating unique surfaces that, in addition to their visual appeal, divide the pieces into zones with different functions.

The pieces in the Arkhe collection are crafted by skilled craftsmen from travertine blocks and wood. The delicate imperfections provided by the travertine, smoothed without filling, are a nod to the imperfections created by time in these monumental architectural marvels of the distant past.

For the pieces in the collection, coffee tables, consoles and mirrors, the designer has created several geometric variations, also offering the possibility of customising their size and materials. As a result, the Arkhe collection satisfies different needs and uses in the spaces for which they are chosen, ensuring their versatility and timeless appeal.

The Arkhe collection recently won the Silver A’ Design Award in the furniture design category, an international award that recognises and promotes the power of good design.

Fulden Topaloğlu

Fulden Topaloğlu graduated from the Industrial Engineering Department of Boğaziçi University in 2004. He completed his master’s degree (2009) and PhD (2016) at the Department of Industrial Product Design, Istanbul Technical University.

During her professional life, she worked as an industrial designer at Tasarımüssü Design Studio in Istanbul and as a design group manager at Koleksiyon Mobilya. She carried out a wide range of design and development projects for companies in various industrial sectors, including furniture, accessories, home textiles, packaging, jewellery, chocolate, graphics and homeware designs for major brands in the Turkish market.

She currently develops her passion and expertise in providing design services at Studio Kali, of which she is the founder, building a meaningful and responsible brand for the collection she designs.

“I live and work in Istanbul, and Turkey’s cultural and geographical heritage occupies a very important place in my designs. In addition to its subconscious effects, I consciously choose to base the starting point of many of them on these cultural and geographical inspirations. In my Studio Kali product collection, the cultural heritage, craft traditions and natural geography of my home country are my main sources of inspiration“.

As an academic and a firm believer in the value of sharing industrial experience as well as continuous learning through teaching, she teaches as a lecturer in the Department of Industrial Design at Medipol University, Istanbul. Her academic work and articles on design management and design education have been published in leading academic journals such as The Design Journal, Design Management Review and International Journal of Art & Design.

Source: Studio Kali.