Banu Altay, the founding partner of Sia Moore Architecture, a successful implementer of global architectural trends in Turkey and the Middle East, stated that the notion of “Spirituality in Design” will be appreciated more in 2018 and there will be many examples of it in architectural practices.

According to Altay, “The use of basmala-inscribed works in entrance halls and reception areas, works of calligraphy and gilding that is chosen in line with the decorative style of the space, the hand of Fatima made of brass and copper, velvet curtains decorated with verses from the Quran -our sample of embroidery- are only some of those details. Especially the curtains are hung along the surrounding walls so that a complete verse or section can be read in its entirety.

We even reproduced the cloth that covers the Kaaba with the exact embroidery and placed it in the entrance in one of our projects. There are details that needs to be taken into account such as direction, height and the appropriate material. Therefore an architectural project that is based on individual’s spiritual values not only requires an aesthetic knowledge but also technical know-how.”

Altay stated that tranquility is the keyword for the concept of “Spirituality in Design” and added: “When you use products that carry traces of the Islamic world and are born of handcraft, vision and labor, that spirituality will naturally ooze into your space, it is impossible that it won’t. If you don’t carry the traces of these concepts in your living spaces, whether it be your home or your office, you simply won’t find peace there. In addition to all that, the color green represents life, being, nature and tranquility, so it further empowers all these spiritual values in our interior designs.”