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Istanbul Design Week Takes on the Turkish Capital

The design fair will feature over 160,000 square feet of display space, exhibitions, workshops, and conferences.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 8/13/2008 12:00:00 AM

In what will surely cause Turkish delight -- not to mention excitement for the international design community -- the annual Istanbul Design Week is set to descend on Turkey's capital from October 16-20.

For the first time, the fair will be organized and managed by Design in Turkey, a joint venture conceived by Dream Design Factory, the original organizers of the fair, and DesignPartners, the creative team behind Milan's successful Zona Tortona Design fair.

The fair's main exhibition area, part of over 160,000 square feet of display space, will once again be located on the Golden Horn's Old Galata Bridge. Under the art direction of Cibic & Partners, the bridge will be covered by an elaborate tented structure, meant to evoke the atmosphere of the area's traditional soaks.

Other venues for the week's exhibitions, workshops, conferences, and events will include the Basilica Cistern, the Nadir Has University, and the Old Hat Factory area, a small open air design village.

"Istanbul combines historical heritage with a strong industrial and architectonic developments," say Maurizio Ricotta, co-CEO of Design in Turkey. "The city is living a moment of experimentation and creativity, thanks also to its central position geographically speaking."

In 2007, the fair drew more than 50,000 attendees.