We are in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods of Istanbul on a hot summer day. We are greeted by colorful and different design products positioned in a large and simple space. Burak is in front of us, explaining the unique design concept of All is minimal. Fragrant coffees in our hands, our eyes on the products we admire as we look, and our ears on the story of this special brand. Let's get started.
1. Can you tell us the story of the establishment of the brand All Is Minimal and how this journey started?
I started designing interior furniture, but I always had an interest in small design products. I started collecting objects and products that I liked from every museum, travel or exhibition I went to. Thus, when I established my own design studio in 2019, I had the opportunity to make small, functional and sculptural products that I always dreamed of outside of furniture design.
Later, I decided to establish my own brand, not just making products, and started looking for a name. However, I thought that the name should be like a slogan, not a single word. My designer friend Gizem Bilkay, with whom I did projects at that time, was the person who found the name of our brand. In the conversations we had at that time, we realized that the main idea of the products was to produce products that are simple, far from ostentation, made of good materials, relate to the user, fulfill more than one function, in calm tones, suitable for your style and decoration understanding at any time of the day, and this name reflected exactly our vision. As such, we decided to start our journey in 2020.
2. What are the basic elements that make a product unique to you and determine your understanding of design? How are your design and production stages shaped?
The function of a product becomes unique when it is shaped in line with the user's own needs. Form, material, color, texture, packaging, promotional language of the product, social media contents, videos, photographs are the components rather than the basic elements of a design. None of these components should be more exaggerated than the other.
All products of All Is Minimal talk to each other. Each product has a connection with each other in terms of color, material and form. We start designing the new member of this family by identifying the deficiencies in our collection. And we liken all of our products to a growing family. In this direction, of course, our production stages are shaped in similar ways.
3. In addition to minimalist aesthetics, what other values do people who own All Is Minimal products share? What common values and characteristics do you think you share with the people you share your products with?
I think we make products that fit the idea of "less is more" because most of our products are suitable for more than one expectation and usage scenario. A product that you use to put your pens in one period can turn into a product where you put your jewelry or a plate of nuts in another period. Therefore, you can fulfill more than one need by having fewer products.
4. You live in Canada. How is the Canadian journey of the All Is Minimal brand progressing? Can you tell us about the production and sharing process there? What are your expectations, plans and dreams for the future?
Since last year, we have started to operate in Canada as All Is Minimal INC., apart from selling our own products there, we also establish design collaborations with brands from different sectors. Our production process continues in Turkey.
I think it is very privileged that our brand is sold in various museum stores. What an exhibition selection and presentation means to a visitor to a museum, the products in the store of that museum mean the same importance to the user. If we look at the subject with this special selection and understanding, it is among our short-term plans to cooperate with important design museums in the world in the future.