The atelier: where the hand still leads
A short walk through the Artlife workshop in Istanbul, where every piece begins as raw timber and a drawing.
Every piece begins as raw timber and a drawing. The drawing is made by hand, at full scale, and it is the only thing the carver works from.
Carving
An acanthus leaf is drawn with a gouge before it is cut. The carvers in our atelier learned from the men before them; the chain has not broken in Istanbul since 1974.
Gilding
Gold leaf is laid by breath, leaf by leaf, on a red bole ground. It is then burnished with agate until it holds light the way a sunset does.
Upholstery
Chenille, velvet and damask are fitted without a single crease. Nothing leaves the atelier until the Maestro has seen it.
Nothing here is manufactured. It is composed — this is home couture.