Color me Ottoman

Melis Alphan Hürriyet Daily News

The Coffee color group, inspired by coffee flavored with spices like cardamom, musk and amber, gives depth to the spaces in which it is used.

Ottoman influence has lately captured the world of fashion, design and even popular culture in Turkey.
Embroidered caftans, sandals and golden belts are not a thing of the past or only garments used on stage anymore. Modernized versions are part of everyday fashions.

Fragrance companies are acquiring recipes of Ottoman palace perfumes from the Louvre Museum in Paris and reproducing them.

One can see the Ottoman touch on the decorations of weddings and other special events.

“Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (Magnificent Century), a wildly popular TV series, caused a stir and even urged people to read more about the history of the Ottoman Empire.

And another part of life where we see much of the Ottoman effect is the colors used on walls.

“Can you imagine a world without colors? Colorless personality, colorless nature, colorless history or a colorless space,” said Serdar Gülgün, an Ottoman historian.

According to Gülgün, a glance at our history is enough for inspiration: fresco paintings on the walls of a palace, the kaftan of a sultan, the tray of a candy seller, the headscarf of an Anatolian woman or decorations on the dome of a mosque.

With these in mind Gülgün prepared a collection for Marshall Boya inspired by the colorful side of Ottoman culture.

Turkish Delight, Berlingot, Sherbet and Coffee are the four themes within the collection. These are the tastes associated with the Ottomans that lasted through today.

Turkish delights’ powdery colors are reflected in the collection with tones of rose, lemon and pistachio green – dreamlike colors that bring romance and innocence to spaces.

The Berlingot color group, which is composed of sunny and spicy shades, adds light and dynamism to spaces.

Sherbet reflects the colors of ripe fruit, fragrant flowers and delicious nuts.

The Coffee color group, inspired by coffee flavored with spices like cardamom, musk and amber, gives depth to the spaces in which it is used.

With this collection Gülgün’s intention was not to develop an Ottoman color inventory but to express his perception of Ottoman art to spaces through colors.

This collection brings a modern breeze into homes with a little help from the colors of the past.
Gülgün was inspired from the Ottoman bazaars for the second collection he prepared for Marshall Boya.

“Today Grand and Egyptian Bazaars are my playground. I go there to find ancient odors, sounds and colors. They are live witnesses of our history and inevitable parts of modern life,” he said.

To Gülgün, the most beautiful treasure is the colors in the Grand and Egyptian Bazaars: shining gold in shop windows, the flames of the oil lamps, warm colors of spices. He decided to take the unique colors revived in the bazaars to people’s homes. One can see the colors of henna, sage, black pepper, mahaleb, basil, exotic turmeric, orchid, tinned coppers, and amulet and flame tones in the collection.