Interview with Meltem Eti Proto

Along with our business life, we continue our studies mainly in the academic field.

expanding the field of view by changing the perspective

We love to design both interior and furniture. It is important for us to examine the effects of culture on design, multiculturalism in design and to establish a connection with sensorial design. We enjoy designing every area and object that has a connection with the user.

It is difficult to reduce it to a single design. The manifesto of the De Stijl movement, Rietveld's 'red-blue' chair , Castiglioni and Droog Design's ironic design approach, Campana brothers' artisanal production approach that integrates art and design.

We especially like using natural and sustainable materials. We try to follow all the current materials. Recently, we use corian and 3d print technologies.

At night or early morning

At the starting point of the design, we focus on understanding the needs, behaviors, users and responding to emotions.

While working together, we generally have a lot of fun and enjoyment.

This is a very pleasant and complementary feeling. Sometimes it's about trying out the results and seeing that the design can reach the user.

We think that there is no single criterion. It is important for us that everyone can access, and that there is interactive communication between the design and the user.

We try to understand what the design says, its purpose, and its relationship with the user.

We believe that the designer should have an accessible and sustainable design approach that produces solutions to different living standards.

With globalization, the concept of regional/local design is changing. Standardization of behavior and needs begins to erase the traces of cultures in design. Of course, the effect of developing technologies on design is undeniable. We think that the future of design will determine new technologies with changing behaviors/needs.

‘PlasticA d’A-MARE’, Turistic Port of Rome, September 2019.
‘Art Design and Woman’ Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts Gallery, Istanbul 2018.
"Multiculturalism and Identity" CCA San Francisco, 2014.

It feeds us to investigate the reflections of cultures and changing life patterns on people and the environment, to try to understand and to discuss what would happen with our own approach.

We can say that we have a multicultural approach. While designing, trying to understand different behavioral structures of cultures has enabled us to deepen in this field.

We live in Istanbul and Rome. Turkey is a multicultural country with ancient cultural ties. Especially Istanbul carries this trace deeply. The effects of this are very strong both in ourselves and in our design approach.
Istanbul is an intersection point connecting two cultures. Istanbul and Rome are two historically reflected cities. Being in the middle of East and West, two different cultures is a contradictory and unique experience. We can say that we are culturally influenced by both, that is, a hybrid design approach.

We organize workshops with decision-makers, identify problems with basic needs and produce solutions. With these outputs, we determine a general approach and proceed to the design process.

Being innovative, reaching people, understanding behaviors are the main areas of interest of design. At this point, it is important for companies to work with designers who can add a design approach that can make a difference beyond adapting to company culture and discourses in order to get professional support.

We try to understand the need first. In order to determine our approach, we analyze the emotion we want to reach at the target. It can be a furniture or a place. The answer of the question “what will the user feel” allows us to reach the correct design.

Castiglioni’s Mezzadro seat and Arco lamp, Stark’s Juicy Salif, Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, and Franco Teodoro’s iconic Sacco, Richard Sapper’s emotional whistling kettle that calls every morning.

The flow of life is very different nowadays :)… Table, balcony, armchair triangle are the most used areas.

We say to our students, "There is no beautiful design, there is good/correct design."

Being a designer gives a critical structure that can be both positive and negative.

Being irregular when thinking.

Perception, interpretation, and being original.

First of all, we love to use pens and explain our thoughts first of all by hand drawing. We can say that pencils, papers, meters, rulers, model materials are always with us. Today's technologies are also our assistants.

When the goal is set, time is also manageable. It is important for us to achieve the goal by trying to be free in the target set.

It depends on what you design. Sometimes a day, sometimes a month.

"Can you design this for me?" "How would you design it?" "What would your comment be?" "When does it end?" "How much does it cost?"

We care about being at the university. We think that professional and academic life are fed from each other. The most important work experience is to achieve this balance.

Many corporate and private offices, housing projects.

We love the designs that communicate with the user, then the object starts to be a part of your life.

The design is very dynamic and variable. It is certain that we will always continue to understand this change and design it in this context.

We work together and also separately.

Among our new design works, pandemic life, which is experienced globally, has effects on design. Since this situation will have great effects on human behavior in urban life, we believe that design can offer solutions and we are working on this subject.

metiproto@gmail.com / julidearslan@gmail.com

https://metiproto.wixsite.com/art-design

cell. 00393338868848