Füsun Kodaman, who has been serving different brands in the carpet sector for many years, is our guest in this issue. The designer saying that she has been in the carpet sector since 2004 says her story about her acquaintance with the carpet goes back the years when she started painting in her childhood. Kodaman, who defines carpet as “one making home and adding warmth”, emphasizes the importance of giving opportunities to young people who will become designers.
First, let’s know you a little…
After graduating from Marmara University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Carpet-Kilim Department, I completed my master’s degree at Marmara G.S.F and E.N.S.A.V La Cambre University in Belgium. I started working in the carpet sector in 2004 when I was a university student. Until this year, I worked as a design director in leading companies in the sector.
Which colors and patterns stand out in carpet design this year?
There is an increasing interest in naturalness and a tendency to simplify. Subtle textures are used together with close tones, revealing a simple elegance that is crafted but not dazzling. Gray tones, creamy cream and light beige tones seem to be in favorites this year. Similarly, natural textures and colors are in the foreground in exports.
What comes to mind when you think of carpet?
It’s hard to explain, actually, I can say it’s a little bit about feeling. For me, the carpet is the most important element that adds warmth to the home and gives it a sense of home. Of course, it is also a fashion element and an important piece that makes the spirit of decoration. I guess that’s why houses that don’t use carpets have always seemed cold, distant and incomplete to me. You don’t limit your imagination on carpet. That got me excited.
The carpet began to gain a modern identity by abstracting from its classical line in the periods when its designs were just getting active. And at that time, the sector was not sufficient in terms of design. That’s why it was more fun for me and in a short time it allowed me to climb the steps faster and rise on this journey.
What and who influenced you in this adventure that started with school desks?
In fact, everything in life is a source of inspiration for me… As I kept in touch with my artistic circle that started to form at school, I always stayed close to art. An exhibition I go to, a sculpture I see, in short, everything related to art is opening a different window for me in design, becoming a guide. In addition to these, being educated abroad, the exhibitions and fairs I have visited have helped enrich my vision.
Artists from many art movements have inspired me. There are many names that are very impressive for me in the Renaissance period and in the abstract art movement, and I can find their equivalents in myself. Artists such as Wassily Kandisky, Joan Miro, Klimt, and Rembrant left works that you can discover new things every time you look.
What is must thing for you when designing?
Firstly, the brand has a vision and an environment consisting of people with team spirit. Finally, everything is a factor of cost and the support of the company is essential for the designer to make concepts freely and add his soul to the carpet.
As someone who has experience in this job, what would you recommend to candidates who want to tend to design?
Above all, they must have received a good education. I think the most important thing that education will give is culture and vision. That a designer has a different perspective will enable him to make a difference in the works he will make. That’s why I recommend my young friends who want to join us to invest in them, visit lots of exhibitions, and travel to different countries if they have the opportunity. I also want them to be patient and remember that building a career is a long journey. In the young generation, I see a bit of haste and a desire to get things quickly. They will be patient and will set short-term and long-term goals for themselves, and as they achieve them, they will set new goals and work for them.
Of course, I also think that we have a responsibility to give opportunities to the new talented. We must always take this into account according to the possibilities we have. Due to the nature of the design profession, I believe that leadership is more important than the concept of management, and I take care to approach my team in this way. Working with talented, determined and characterful people has been my priority and I feel lucky in this regard.
Do you have anything to add finally?
I would like to mention it because it is a situation that I have observed widely in our sector. That a designer enriches his own world, he has hobbies will make him a self-satisfied person. It will be the key to success when he focuses on the work he does by turning into his inner world, not the outside lives.
