BERIL KHALAF: “NATURAL STONE WILL BE A CONSTANT ELEMENT OF OUR SPACES IN THE FUTURE, AS IT HAS BEEN FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.”

Interior designer Beril Khalaf won the Honorable Mention award in the “Residential” category at the Los Angeles-based International Design Awards (IDA) 2021, where the world’s best projects compete. In her offices based in New York and Istanbul, she does interior design projects and application works in a wide range of residential, office and commercial areas. In the projects of Beril Khalaf Interiors which she is the founder, she internalizes the habits, expectations and needs of the employer and deals with each project within the natural, cultural and historical context of the place it belongs. We talked with Beril Khalaf, who makes unique designs shaped with a 360-degree holistic approach, about her career journey in interior design, her current projects and her relationship with natural stone materials.

How did you cross paths with interior architecture and design?
Beril Khalaf: I started university with the department of cinema and television. The experiences during this process actually helped me to understand how the relationship between stage and light affects me. Then, I continued my education in the field of interior design and completed the department of Interior and Environmental Design at Bahçeşehir University. And I participated in various courses and seminars in New York for a year to expand my design vision. Currently, under the name of Beril Khalaf Interiors, I carry out the interior design and application works of national and international residential, office, and commercial spaces with my professional team in our Istanbul and New York-based offices.

What are the elements that make an interior design project yours?
BK: When we start the design process, we are guided by the characteristics of an interior, the spaces that can be created, blind spots that can be evaluated, areas that are not evaluated, or areas that can turn into a striking one with a small touch. The fact that I am a very detail-oriented person is also reflected in the spaces I design. As a team, we are moving in this direction. These thoughtful details make the entire project unique and distinctive. We consider each project within the natural, cultural and historical context of its place. In the case of all these data, we get completely different results from each other. And each project has a unique plot and story.

Can you tell us about the process you followed for the design?
BK: First of all, we hold our first meeting in the project area. It is very valuable for us to go to the first day of discovery with our client. Because it is the first process in which we can clearly observe their expectations from the place and understand how to respond to their dreams. In this process, we listen and observe a lot. Then, we follow a process that changes according to the volume of the project. The second stage is a process based on our own observations. We start to produce with the location of the project, the expectations and the inclusion of our design language in this process. This is the stage where we spend the most time, reading and researching a lot. After we collect all this data and put it into a design language, the design reaches its final state, after we talk to our clients once again and think about it, if there is something they want to add or touch again, we change it.

Can you give examples of the changing demands of consumers during the pandemic process and its reflection on the design process?

BK: Everyone started to much more attention to their living spaces. Especially for working remotely, the need for comfortable workspaces at home has emerged. So, the rate of making changes or allocating time for this has increased. I think the consumers need space for a small office or an area for sports or reserved for new hobbies indoors. It has become important for the interior to be designed functionally and to be able to change shape according to the demands.

You live and produce in two of the world’s most impressive major cities. If you had to make a choice, would you say New York or Istanbul?
BK: The textures and energies of the two cities are different. At one point, they are very similar to each other. Both cities are always dynamic and have lots of points open to discovery. If I had to make a choice, I think I would prefer Istanbul, especially because of my family and friends.

What are the most important elements that you pay attention to in the design of residential interiors?
BK: First of all, the most important factor is to come up with designs that can meet the needs. To analyze the expectations of our clients from the space they will live in and to transform these solutions into rational, useful and comfortable designs. In addition, since these spaces will be used for a long time, we care about making long-lasting materials a part of the design correctly. Since a lot of time is spent in residential interiors and it is the goal of using it for many years, it is of great importance that the designs we make do not get old.

How do users’ expectations affect your designs?
BK: Every new host draws us on a different path. Their expectations, tastes, and needs enable us to approach the design language we have decided at every point from another point of view. In order to take ourselves one step further each time, we research and think more, and present a design adventure. Sometimes, an idea can be added by the host to the space that we dreamed of in the first place. Blending this idea with our own design language reveals different details in every project.

To what extent do you reflect current trends in your designs?
BK: Current trends can sometimes support our designs. Although the designs we make do not completely follow the current trends, they can be incorporated into our designs at some points in line with the wishes of the homeowner or as a natural effect.

In every project you handle, you design all the details from A to Z with a holistic approach and specifically for the project. What does this approach add to your projects?
BK: I think it gives the project its soul and turns into a story. As soon as you step into the interior, the details attract you. Being a detail-oriented person causes me to pay more attention to details. For this reason, we are moving in this direction as a team. I think the designed details make the whole project unique. It makes each project unique.

What do you think about the contributions of developing technology to architecture and design?
BK: Technology is advancing at an incredible pace, changing and transforming our lives. Of course, it is not possible for architecture and design not to get their share from this. Technology makes the work of us architects easier with digitalization. Thanks to digital design programs and communication facilities, we can carry out projects on a global scale and work in coordination with our teammates at the other end of the world. Thanks to BIM, building information modeling, all teams and consultants involved in a project can be involved in the project more effectively and efficiently. The support of technology, when combined with basic design principles, enables us to create high-quality, sustainable architecture and mediates to make architecture a useful discipline for the whole society. Building production and construction technologies are also adapting to the new possibilities offered by technology day by day. Augmented reality, 3D printers, drone technologies are some of them. It is inevitable that the developments in technology will affect the end user in their living spaces. With building automation systems and IoT technologies, our homes and offices are getting smarter, more comfortable and safer day by day.

What would you like to say about architecture and design education in Turkey?
BK: In recent years, the number of schools providing architectural education in our country has increased at an incredible rate. However, most of these schools do not have a well-structured systematic and intellectual infrastructure that will do justice to architectural education. In addition, academic staff is not enough. This being the case, thousands of young architect candidates who graduated without having sufficient architectural knowledge and manners, and without having the necessary equipment in design power and design management, cannot find a job due to the economic conditions of the country and fall into despair.

With GKT Bodrum House, you won the Honorable Mention award in the “Residential” category at the Los Angeles-based International Design Awards (IDA) 2021. What kind of difference do you think you have made with this project?
BK: GKT Bodrum House is a stone house located on a land of approximately four decares in Yalıkavak. The building was built only with Çilek Stone, which is found in Bodrum. Due to the availability of the land and the sensitivity of the landlord to nature, we used a solar system in the house to ensure that all electricity costs were obtained with solar energy. Considering sustainability and ease of use, we applied micro concrete on the floor and preferred decorative plaster for the walls. Taking advantage of the robustness and compactness of the traditional architecture of the building, we took full advantage of daylight with a high insulation layer, heat-proof glasses, and some tears opened in the architecture. In general, we aimed to provide peace and tranquility at home by creating spacious and open spaces in GKT Bodrum House.

What would you say about your 7.15 GYM project in Maslak, which has been making influence?
BK: We designed and implemented the interior of the 7.15 GYM project. We designed 7.15, which is a gym, as a large stage that can be used for sports shootings at every point. We preferred textures, colors, and lighting elements suitable for both this idea and the user profile. We wanted to show the space wider by using perspective mirrors on the walls. Also, we used the gross concrete color decorative plaster that we applied to the whole of the walls to create a raw and unoccupied atmosphere in the interior. On the floors, we applied the micro concrete material from the entrance to the rear end of the space. In the project, we aimed to create a raw structure and nurture it with sustainable design elements, so that this place can be used as the main center of a newly created brand for many years.

As an interior designer who also produces in different countries of the world, how do you position the design culture in Turkey on a global level?
BK: We live in a global world where local values are becoming more important. The richness of Turkish culture also strengthens our hands as architects and designers in order to make a global difference in the design environment. It is necessary to carry this richness beyond the traditions by interpreting it with a contemporary vision and presenting it to the world with a more global perspective. Of course, it’s not about emptying it by copying the traditional figures I’m talking about. By absorbing and interpreting our own values well and conveying them in a universal language, Turkish design will gain a stronger position on the world stage.

How important is the natural stone material that you often choose to use in your designs?
BK: From the first moment the concept of shelter, which is the most important spatial need of humanity, emerged, natural stone has been an indispensable part of living spaces. This material, which dates back even before the existence of man on this planet, was used to shape buildings as a load-bearing building material in the past, but today it is more preferred for floor and wall coverings. The most important reasons why we prefer stone are its naturalness, long-lasting structure, and unique aesthetics. These miraculous works of art from nature add a unique spirit and style to any interior where we use it. Sometimes as a reflection of prestige and luxury, sometimes of simplicity and naivety, natural stones can take on identities suitable for the character of the spaces we design. Marble, onyx, and basalt are among the natural stones we most prefer to use. Our country is literally a natural stone paradise. We are a team that takes care to use Turkish natural stones in our projects.

How important do you think the natural stone will have in the spaces and designs of the future?
BK: Natural stone will be a constant element of our spaces in the future, as it has been for thousands of years. I have no doubt that this passion, which has been going on since antiquity and even before, will continue in the coming centuries. It is not possible to achieve the aesthetic and functional value, efficiency, longevity, and durability offered by natural stone with different materials at the same time. Especially in the near future, when the pursuit of being close to nature will increase over time, the biophilic design will become more and more widespread, and the pursuit of sustainable architecture will gain more importance, natural stone will continue to maintain its priority in our spaces.