I am an Interior Architect and Architectural Lighting designer. I was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. My first memories are of playing with friends in a sandbox; making castles and houses. This was the beginning of a passion that would eventually shape my perspective on life. As the years went on I found myself taking a keen interest in the design world.As I went through middle and high school, I would often paint and design my own structures. I knew from then, architecture and interior design is an exciting field, that so wonderfully combines my two loves of art and technical creativity, and was what I wanted for a career. This led me to attend the Rhode Island School of ­­Design summer architecture program, then the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for my Bachelor Degree in Interior Architecture, followed by my studies at Parsons the New School for Design for MFA in Lighting Design Program. My education elevated my artistic skills, as I built my ability to think creatively and critically about design.

    Besides  design, I always had a strong desire to discover the culinary world. Since the idea of making things from scratch has always fascinated me, I pursued my aspiration at the French Culinary Institute. Studying culinary and pastry arts for a year, not only combined my design skills with the art of cooking, but also exposed me to discipline and teamwork, which are curtail qualities for a successful designer.  As I have found through my various professional experiences, every accomplished architect needs a strong foundation in all aspects of her field in order to be able to completely manage a project. My passion for design let me experience different cultures through living in Turkey, Italy and the United States. I am fluent in English, Turkish and have basic conversation skills in Italian.

My eventual goal is to return to Turkey and work towards improving the urban landscape.  The exciting development of Istanbul over the last ten years is truly an amazing thing to witness, but a bit scary considering what may happen with completely unregulated construction.  It is my hope to be able to impact this unique city in a way that is not only beneficial to its inhabitants, but also worthy of its history. I think that as I progress through my design career, my own goals and visions for the future will be honed so that I may be able to truly appreciate the relationships between cities, their people, and their culture.