Design is all about making things, The way we make things has undergone a revolution in recent years. From 3D printing to crowd-funding, there have never been more tools for enterprising designers to step out of corporate employment and set up on their own. Today, Blouin ARTINFO is launching Designer on the Rise, a series designed to showcase the enterpreneurial spirit, and creative flair, of brands around the world that may be small or young but are also fast-growing, cool or both. Halit Berker is a rising star of Turkish furniture design. His company was selected by Istanbul Design Week to represent excellence in emerging design at Dubai Design Week (October 26 -31) as part of its Destination program. Blouin ARTINFO caught up with Halit to ask about his business. Name: Berker DesignMakes: Furniture / Interior designSince: 2010Based in: Istanbul, TurkeyHow many people do you employ: 3Age of oldest employee: 42Age of youngest employee: 26We're talking to: Halit Berker, Founder & Owner Who are you, and how many are you?My name is Halit Berker. I have studied Fine Arts at Academy of Art Collage in San Francisco. I came back to Istanbul and worked as creative art director for global advertising agencies. Seven years later, I started designing furniture as a hobby. Then my hobby became my job, and has been ever since. Today, I'm designing and producing furniture with my team of three. The company - what exactly do you do?I produce my own retro-modern furniture designs. They can be custom made according to the customer's needs. I also do interior design.I have been very interested in the 50s' and 60s' style for as long as I remember. You can see it in every part of my life – my clothes, my home decoration and my designs. This interest created a job that I love doing.It all started with the decoration of my new home. I did all the interior design of the house and ordered custom-made furniture from the designs that I drew myself. After I received very positive reactions, I started to do this, first for my friends, and then for my clients. And what do you definitely not do?I try to be unique as much as I can. I don't like classic or ultra modern style furniture. I never produce a piece of furniture that I wouldn't use in my own house. What did you do before starting this business?I worked for advertising agencies as a creative director. With my team, I was in charge of creating ad campaigns for global brands such as Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Vodafone etc... What is your favourite product?My new TV cabinet "Cage” is my favourite. It will be displayed at Downtown Design Fair in Dubai for the first time this October. Who buys your products?My customer is a 30+-year-old, who has a good taste of furnitur.Joking aside, I m lucky that we are on the same page with most of my customers. This simplifies my job. They can come to my showrom by making an appointment.My business is based in Istanbul. My furniture is also being sold in different design shops like Dank, Estilo etc. in Istanbul. I am about to finalize an aggreement with a design store in NYC. What is your typical day at work/in the office?I usually work on my designs at nights at home. During the day time, I do meetings with my clients and visit the atelier to check how the furniture production is progressing. I always buy woods and fabrics myself, to find the best. And I always deliver the furniture with my own hands. This also shows how much I care about customer satisfaction. What important lesson have you learned in the last year?Be clear and straightforward with the customers. Understand their needs and never start producing if you have any question marks or doubts in your head. And what is the best thing that has happened to you since starting the business?The best thing is that I have found a way to express myself freely. More importantly, I have met so many customers, and they have with time become friends. How would you describe your design community?In Istanbul, furniture design is improving with the new, young designers appearing. This is promising, but they need to be more encouraged to improve the sector. What what you got planned for the rest of 2015?I will be presenting four to eight of my new design pieces at Dubai Design Week in October. After DDW, I will be attending the 10th Contemporary Istanbul fair, like last year. In five years, design will be...Minimalist, Colorful, Bold. Last words?I hope to see you all at Dubai Design Week! Contact:Berker DesignOkul Yolu No:27 Ulus/Besiktas – Istanbulwww.berkerdesign.com / 0090 541 257 0925
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