WELCOME TO EXPAT DESIGN SHOP
Founder
Ece Iyigun Pittarello
Born in Istanbul and started flirting with art there. After having her BFA in Fashion and Textile Design, she moved to New York to follow her dreams. She completed her graphic design degree in Parsons School Of Design.After working in various design firms as a designer, falling in love with an italian and moving to Venezia, adopting a big big Bernese Mountain dog, teaching at Boston University, having a blond blond son, she developed a growing passion for glass and gardening. Turning her studio into a glass atelier, one event led to another one and ... Expat Design Shop is born.
After a growing demand and a need for a cool architect, her best friend joined the expat team as the partner in Istanbul.
Partner
Oyku Akyildirim
Born in 1982/Istanbul.Graduated from the department of Architecture at Yeditepe University ,in 2006.She worked as architect ,project manager and gained her experiences at various architectural offices.Because of her petite figüre, her friends and cousins call her ‘pocket’.In any case,’Less is always more’ for her.
WE
Our aim is to give new life to simple materials such as glass and solder, creating geometric terrariums that hold natural elements (stones, plants, soil, sand). As a result we have these little precious art pieces, unique, completely handmade and customized.
INSPIRATIONS
Our training,education and experience is based on the world of graphic design and architecture, this gives us new ideas every day and lets us to take inspiration from the biggest architects and international designers. Jeff Koons and Tom Fruin are just some of the names that every day we inspire when we design our works . Geometry, which inspries all our work , also provides us new challenges and new ideas to experiment. The purpose is to create objects from the original design that surprise our customers and that fit into their lives (and in their homes) with originality and creativity.
EVOLUTION
Our work began with the creation of terrariums and small glass objects,that contains plants, natural elements. Welcoming ideas and suggestions from our customers, we keep on creating every day new projects, tailored to the needs of people who fall in love with Expat Design products: wedding favors , gift ideas, design objects, special terrariums for events, exibition pieces and customised pieces for locals (such as restaurants and hotels ). The particularity of the Expat Design products is that they are unique items, designed and produced entirely by hand, then fully customized. In addition to glass (opaque or transparent) we use the mirror and work the solder with black, copper or silver finish
Contact us to create a customized Expat Design!
Expat: we are citizens of the world, lived and grown in Europe and the US, always away from home but able to be at home anywhere in the world. Istanbul has seen the our birth and growth, with its Middle-Eastern air and Western aspirations. New York has hosted us and trained, with its thousands of sparks and with its modern multiethnic and ever changing air. Venice welcomed us with its slow rhythms, infinite beauty. Every place gave us a piece of culture, a piece of heart, that we put in our projects.
Design: passion for modern architecture and design is our life. In each Expat Design product we put all the past to project it into the future , trying to synthesize the rules of contemporary design with a look to the traditional feeling.
Shop: create something beautiful for others
