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Collection by Jaime Gillin

Destination of the Week: Istanbul

As writer Shonquis Moreno put it, after traveling to Turkey’s most cosmopolitan city for the first annual Istanbul Design Biennial, "Istanbul is a city of chaos, improvisation, and irony, where a canon of calls-to-prayer ripples through a secular republic five times a day. Megaprojects born of an unsustainably strong economy rule the day: The city is carving a 30-mile canal—a second Bosporus—from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and a cross-continental metro tunnel, from Europe to Asia, beneath the strait." Today, a modern heart beats within its ancient walls. Here, a compilation of Dwell's favorite finds in the city that bridges—both literally and figuratively—Europe and Asia.

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Inside the tumbling cubes of the REX-designed Vakko Headquarters and Power Media Center, the Vitali Hakko Creative Industries Library offers a handsomely stocked and up-to-the-minute catalog of visual culture for scholars and the public. Photo by Martin Siepman.
Inside the tumbling cubes of the REX-designed Vakko Headquarters and Power Media Center, the Vitali Hakko Creative Industries Library offers a handsomely stocked and up-to-the-minute catalog of visual culture for scholars and the public. Photo by Martin Siepman.
Seyhan Özdemir founded the design firm Autoban with Sefer Çağlar in 2003, eight years after they met, at age 20, at Istanbul’s Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University—–Özdemir studying architecture, Çağlar interior design.
Seyhan Özdemir founded the design firm Autoban with Sefer Çağlar in 2003, eight years after they met, at age 20, at Istanbul’s Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University—–Özdemir studying architecture, Çağlar interior design.
With their east-meets-west twist on mid-century classics, the duo behind Autoban has jump-started their hometown’s design scene. Their House Café evokes colonnaded patterns of mosques, albeit in a secular manner.
With their east-meets-west twist on mid-century classics, the duo behind Autoban has jump-started their hometown’s design scene. Their House Café evokes colonnaded patterns of mosques, albeit in a secular manner.
Georges Hotel Galata is a one-year-old hotel features a popular bar where expats and locals gather. Rooms are decked out with sleek marble bathrooms, modern furniture, and lighting that’s been handcrafted by Turkish woodworkers and metalsmiths.
Georges Hotel Galata is a one-year-old hotel features a popular bar where expats and locals gather. Rooms are decked out with sleek marble bathrooms, modern furniture, and lighting that’s been handcrafted by Turkish woodworkers and metalsmiths.
Museum, gallery, and exhibition space Salt doesn’t just archive art and design; it makes them. Look for films, lectures, and eclectic interiors by young designers, as well as cafes, bookstores, and even a rooftop garden by Fritz Haeg. Photo by Refik Anadol.
Museum, gallery, and exhibition space Salt doesn’t just archive art and design; it makes them. Look for films, lectures, and eclectic interiors by young designers, as well as cafes, bookstores, and even a rooftop garden by Fritz Haeg. Photo by Refik Anadol.
The Ataturk Cultural Center, located in the busy Taksim Square, is home to the opera and many state-sponsored music and performance events. Photo by Cristobal Palma.
The Ataturk Cultural Center, located in the busy Taksim Square, is home to the opera and many state-sponsored music and performance events. Photo by Cristobal Palma.