Gaia&Gino was founded in 2004 by Cevichel, owner of Istanbul’s top design store Decorum. Her vision was to create a collective of innovative design objets by some of the world’s leading designers, incorporating a Turkish sensibility with a modern edge. The company has already racked up several design awards including TIME Magazine’s Best of 2005 and 2008 and accolades from IDEA, Red Dot Design, Design Plus, Good Design and Design Management Europe.
“We select designers that are multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary and their design language fits with the Gaia&Gino identity,” explains Cevikel of her approach to her collaborators, adding that each of the company’s designers visits Istanbul first before creating their pieces. “They get inspiration from city,” says Cevikel. “From the colors at the grand Bazaar, to the spices Bazaar, from the old Ottoman forms and patterns and from Istanbul’s people. Istanbul has been the meeting point for all religions for ages so this makes it a very mystical place to be. The designers translate Turkishness, only with a little twist.”
Gaia&Gino’s collaborators include Boym, Allen, Hayon, Bergne, Andrée Putman, Israeli designer Arik Levy, Christian Ghion, Spanish artist Jaime Hayon, Egyptian furniture designer Karim Rashid and Yves Béhar, among others. Next, there are plans to work with Zaha Hadid and Wallpaper* Magazine’s Suzanne Trocmé.
Cevikel- an Istanbul native- says she continues to gain inspiration from the city. “Istanbul is very chaotic and unpredictable which makes it really interesting. You can never predict what is going to happen next. Bosphoros, the Istanbul Strait that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, is my favorite part. When there’s a full moon, the landscape looked amazing,” she says. “In the day, it changes colors in each region. It’s like a feast for the eyes driving by every morning.”
