Design culture as a culture of contamination. This seems to be the guiding principle of Rüya Akyol, a Turkish designer who has skilfully and sensitively blended her Anatolian roots with her Italian training and experience. Born in Istanbul in 1991, she studied at Istanbul Technical University before moving to Milan, where she attended the polytechnic and Domus Academy. More than just a geographical transition, it was a shift in culture and design methodology that led her to work with prominent names in international design, such as Claudio Bellini and Philippe Starck. The leitmotif of her first collection, debuting at SaloneSatellite 2025, is a balance between tradition and innovation, East and West. The series of furnishings in warm, earthy colours – from ochre to tobacco, sand and burnt umber – was designed for compact but dynamic environments, capable of responding to the needs of contemporary living without sacrificing a strong expressive identity. One of the collection’s most iconic pieces is the Signe armchair, which seems to translate the fluid gesture of a signature into a piece of furniture. The collection includes other furnishings that accentuate the hybrid vision of Italian design and Turkish sensibility. The Baia sofa, for example, proposes a contemporary interpretation of the need for multifunctional spaces: the seats are arranged around an integrated desk, in a play of volumes that transforms the living room into a fluid environment, ready to adapt to the requirements of work and relaxation. The Pasaj stool speaks a language that combines essential geometries and references to Mediterranean culture. Pasaj, which means “passage” in Turkish, recalls the typical arches of souks and Ottoman architecture. Another key element in Akyol’s research is her interest in craftsmanship and textile tradition. Her collection shows how contemporary design is no longer a question of boundaries, but of connections.