An important aspect of design heritage is that it consolidates the concepts of belonging and cultural continuity, acting as an agent for the citizens to realize that they are the inheritors of a particular past. Sadly, in Turkey recently, many illustrative examples of Modern Heritage in the context of architecture and design are being razed and demolished in order to make way for the construction of new ones in order to meet the needs of the city. Aiming to shed more light on the interior and furniture design works of Sedad Hakkı Eldem, a Turkish actor who appreciated and valued the vernacular design features of Turkish heritage, this study focuses on the design work which takes the tradition as a reference point. In Eldem’s career, the early 1930s constitute an exploratory period in which he created hypothetical projects aiming at a conceptual modern reconstruction of the Turkish House. As the decades went by, Eldem’s emphasis on the vernacular displayed a rise and a decline as the design climate changed along with the changing socio-cultural motives. Eldem internalized a highly subtle approach to the illustration of the traditional design of Turkish interiors after the influence of mid-century modernism on Turkish interiors. By utilizing the examples of two particular mansions located along the Bosphorus coastline, Istanbul, this study intends to demonstrate how the modernist interiors also feature the vernacular elements in a refined manner.
Esra Bici Nasır, who graduated from METU Industrial Design Department, completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in ITU Industrial Design Department programs. Nasır, who has research focus such as design ethnography, domesticity, material culture and design history, has published articles, papers and book chapters in the specified fields. In 2021, Nasır has been one of the winners of the Salt Research Grants. Nasır is currently teaching in the Department of Industrial Design, Izmir University of Economics.