At the heart of the project lies the nahıl—ceremonial, tree-like structures that once animated Ottoman weddings and festivals. Towering in conical forms and lavishly adorned with wax figures, foliage, and gilded ornaments, the nahıl embodied both abundance and prestige, standing as a testament to Ottoman artisanship at its most theatrical. Documented in illustrated Sûrname manuscripts by court miniaturists such as Levni and recorded by chroniclers like Evliya Çelebi, these ephemeral trees remain charged emblems of a tradition that, while largely vanished, continues to resonate as a symbol of collective identity and imagination.

Ahu channels this legacy into a body of work that unfolds as domestic totems: monolithic wooden cabinets, marble and marquetry tables, seating embroidered with floral geometries, and carpets that echo their motifs. Each piece is conceived not as furniture in the conventional sense, but as a symbolic vessel—where ornament, form, and material coalesce into a contemporary mythology.

Produced in collaboration with a network of Istanbul’s third-generation artisans, the collection affirms the enduring vitality of Anatolian craft. Wood carving, marquetry, stonework, and embroidery—techniques at risk of fading into obscurity—are reimagined here within a contemporary design language, allowing traditional knowledge to evolve while retaining its precision and depth.

The decorative universe, designed by our studio, draws inspiration from the visual traditions of hand embroidered textiles and the fluid rhythms of ebru marbling, extending across the surfaces of the pieces as living patterns that animate their geometric rigour.