SPECIAL DESIGNS FOR “TEA ADDICTS”

Students of Department of Industrial Design, and Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design of Izmir University of Economics (IUE) designed a “tea house” for tea addicts. Students designed contemporary and practical tea tables and chairs for tea houses which are widely used in Turkish culture. Students of IUE Vocational School, Furniture & Decoration Program designed bookcases and seating groups based on cube format and displayed them at Izmir Furniture Fair.

72 students created 17 designs as part of the Furniture Design course taken by students of both IUE Department of Industrial Design, and Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design. Students designed small and practical furniture for addicts of tea, a beverage that tarnished the reputation of coffee which was on the throne for decades since it entered the lands of Anatolia.  

Lecturer Stefano Pugliese, Coordinator of Furniture Design course, stated that the course was offered to students of two disciplines, and that the project was supported by Lecturers Hande Atmaca, Cengiz Ultav, and Çağdaş Cantürk. Pugliese reported that tea was consumed in many countries in many different ways and it turned into a cultural aspect. Pugliese said, “Students designed their dream tea houses. They took usability into consideration while designing. We created different concepts of tea houses within rapidly changing living conditions”.

Mustafa Baydağ, Lecturer from IUE Furniture & Decoration Program, reported that the program admitted its first students this year and they took their places at the fair with their first semester projects. Baydağ said, “Students based their designs on a cube. They exhibited their semester work. The fair attendees showed great interest to the designs. We started out fast. Companies established close contact with our students even though our program started recently”.