Marie Claire Maison Autumn-Winter 2025

“Holistic Design”

Interview Prepared by Gökçe Karaman Önemci

Following her experiences in Milan and Paris, Rüya Akyol established a dynamic career path with a design studio active in both cities. We explored her journey from starting abroad to her work in Istanbul and the evolution of her brand, Ruya Akyol Studio.

Can you tell us about the founding story of Ruya Akyol Design Studio?

Since my early design education, my biggest dream was to establish my own studio. All decisions throughout my education and career were aligned with this goal. In my second year at university, I began learning Italian and later studied at Politecnico di Milano through the Erasmus program. I participated in scholarship competitions for Domus Academy. After working in design studios for several years, the production of my first self-designed product by the Italian design company Hiro during the COVID period accelerated everything.

Your studio operates in both Milan and Istanbul. How do these locations function in your work plan or criteria?

Everything initially started in Milan. However, receiving demand from Turkey made me realize I could contribute to my homeland. Our designers in Milan and Istanbul work collaboratively. However, our projects differ—more project-based in Europe, while we adopt an “Art Direction” consultancy model in Turkey.

You worked with Claudio Bellini in Milan and Philippe Starck in Paris. Could you tell us about those experiences?

During my education at Domus Academy, I started as an intern at Claudio Bellini. Thanks to our synergy, I quickly rose through the ranks to junior, then senior project manager, and finally studio director over five years. Despite this incredible experience, my dream was always to start my venture, so I sought diverse experiences in other studios. Philippe Starck, undoubtedly one of our era’s greatest designers, offered me a position, prompting my move to Paris. This experience, where I collaborated with top brands such as Baccarat, Kartell, and Glas Italia, highlighted how significant a designer’s projects’ success is tied to the brands they collaborate with.

You emphasize a holistic design perspective. What does that mean for you?

As designers, our role is not only to create designs based on client briefs but also to keep clients informed of market trends, guide them, and create designs that reflect their identity. We incorporate this holistic approach into communication channels, aiming to design everything from catalogs to stores. Starting with our own studio as a model scenario helped us convey our approach to our clients.

Could you share your award-winning projects?

My first design, the Plu umbrella holder, earned a place in the prestigious ADI Design Index in 2023, qualifying for the Compasso D’Oro Award, held every two years. This year, we won two A’ Design Awards: the Tux chair for Rapido and the Tiramisu pouf family for Froa. The Tux chair was inspired by the tuxedo to add style to office environments, innovatively concealing office chair mechanisms. The Tiramisu pouf, inspired by the dessert’s meaning “pick me up,” brings warmth to spaces with its lightweight structure and engaging silhouette.

Do you work solely in product design, or do you also design spaces?

Under our Art Direction approach, we strive for a unified and holistic language across our client projects, encompassing graphic and spatial design. For instance, beyond product design for Oobje, we provided support with naming, branding, logo, and styling. We also consulted on exhibition stands, websites, and social media. Other examples include logo design for Görhan Furniture’s parent brand, the store design for GoYoungs’ Skyland HOM location, and comprehensive branding to showroom design for Versatile brands.

How would you define good design?

For me, good design aligns with a company’s standards, reaches its target audience, and brings a smile to users’ faces. Some designs, no matter how original and innovative, fail to gain the recognition they deserve without proper positioning and collaboration with the right company. Thus, location and placement are as crucial as the design itself.

What projects are you currently working on?

We are excited about upcoming award ceremonies and design fairs, particularly participating in Salone del Mobile in April at Salone Satellite for young designers. Additionally, we aim to connect Turkish firms with international networks, bringing global designers to Turkey and elevating Turkish brands on the international stage.