Industrial designer Buket Hoşcan Bazman values traditional artisanship, contemporary design, and quality signature. Her signature can found on many a timeless and sophisticated product all under her design label Marbelous, which she founded in Istanbul in 2014. Bazman prefers using natural materials-most notably marble-throughout all of her designs. She creates products that allow the user to personalize and play around with their colours and surfaces. We caught up with Buket Hoşcan Bazman to talk about the material that inspired Marbleous, as well as about what’s trending in the world of natural stone.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in industrial design?
Buket Hoşcan Bazman: I was born in Izmir in 1989. I majored in Industrial Design at Işık University. Immediately after graduation, I began working at a firm that produces marble furniture. Later, I worked in the ceramic sector for 2.5 years. In 2014, I started designing under my own label, Marbelous.
You use natural stone to create modern designs that people can personalize. Your signature can be found on many an item through “Marbleous.” What drove you to start your own label?
BHB: When I was starting the label, my goal was to put forth unique items that blended design with artisanship. I created a collection by merging traditional production techniques with plain lines. One feature that stands out in the collection’s furniture designs in particular is the fact that you can personalize them. I want people to be able to find piece of themselves in a given item, seeing as how they are going to be placing it in their homes. We can create things around whatever scale and materials that the design lends itself to.
You place a lot of importance using natural stone in your work. You particularly like marble, hence the name of your lable. Why?
BHB: Marble was the first material I had ever worked with upon entering the sector as a designer. Its nature, how its formed, and how it can be worked both leave me in awe and piques my curiosity. I primarily used marble, wood, and brass in the Marbelous collection. I love mixing and matching different dimensions-worth of different materials. I prefer using natural stone in all of my work. It carries great importance in that it makes the item precious and ageless.
You are known for choosing Turkish marble and trusting Turkish marble work. How do you think you think you have managed to reflect that within your label?
BHB: Turkey is very rich in terms of its marble reserves and the sheer variety of marble it has at its disposal. In terms of quality, I think that its all equal. Marble is a difficult material to both produce and use due to its structure. Therefore, you need to accumulate a heavy amount knowledge and experience first before you can crack a manufacturer’s prejudice and put forth one-of-a-kind designs. I love pushing both my own as well as the manufacturer’s envelope when it comes to experimenting with new techniques and forms. The feeling of satisfaction that you both get from creating something fresh is very motivating-and that then gets reflected on the item.
What elements inspire your designs?
BHB: My main source of inspiration is the material itself. That said, you really have to know the material well. How malleable it is, alongside what its pros and cons are can carry the design to a whole other. In short, I spent a lot of energy at the onset of process pondering over what material I would like to use.
Your work has been showcased in quite a number of exhibitions both here in Turkey as well as abroad, and you’ve won a number of award in competitions as well. What motivates you to be successful?
BHB: I’m always motivated by coming up with work that is idiosyncratic and that forces people to embrace the new. Design is vehicle through which I convey my own ideas and feelings to others. I compete with myself, and that keeps me pumped. I always strive to outdo my previous work.
What direction do you think natural stone will take in the coming years, trend wise? What might its future role be in design?
BHB: Marble processing techniques are advancing at lightning speed worldwide. When it comes to this subject in Turkey, I feel that designers like myself are challenging taboos. More outside-the-box coming to the fore will motivate future designers and manufacturers, which will in turn will only further fuel people’s interest in natural stone.
