The story of the SUSTAIN leaf bowl

I would like to share the story of the beginning of the bowl I designed in the past years. A form that will create an alternative to the bowls we use daily; the leaf bowl I named SUSTAIN*.

*SUSTAIN Turkish meaning; To sustain.

We started a project called #DESIGNCUITBINARY with my friend Sibel Kutlusoy, a food designer and researcher, in 2018.

Let the Designer and the Chef experience the exchange of places. We had designed it based on the interdisciplinary work of two people working in a porcelain production workshop and a restaurant kitchen.

Chef Aylin Yazıcıoğlu and I went back and forth between the kitchen and ceramic studio for a few weeks. First, we opened our studio and kitchen to each other and did weekly work by guiding them. Sibel Kutlusoy was our project consultant and manager. Projects that start with excitement can sometimes not be finalized. In the intensity of life and work, it can be difficult to separate the necessary time. We could not complete our project. Although it was a short-term study, I observed that it made me look at the objects I designed differently.

In the same period, a 2-day symposium on OLIVE OIL was organized in Nicole Restaurant, where Aylin Yazıcıoğlu was the chef. In this symposium on olives and olive oil production; as a designer, I also designed an OLIVE OIL tasting experience table. I designed the leaf-shaped bowl for this experience area and produced a few prototypes.

The following year, when I started designing a new collection, in the journey of transforming this LEAF form into an object for use in the home, the Olive leaf evolved into the Sage leaf. The inspiration for the porcelain bowl I named SUSTAIN was Olive leaves. Why did I turn Olive Leaves into Sage Leaves? I think it's because I love using Sage Leaves in the kitchen and in cooking. I also love its smell. I add it to many dishes with fresh or dried leaves. I also enjoy sage tea, whether I make it hot or cold.

With this form and the matte glaze I created, it started to look more like a Sage leaf.

The ADAÇAYI collection has been enriched with alternative objects for our coffee, tea and food presentations. The special feature of the matte glaze I used and its differentiation in each product also attracted a lot of attention. The pieces we produced using molds turned into single-piece products with the glaze used.

And Sustain became an interesting presentation plate, object and became the favorite of this collection. I would like to share that it sold more than I expected. So, a piece of nature or an unexpected form on our dining table attracted our attention. It was preferred a lot as a gift. Even Smat cafe in Design District in Dubai started to serve sushi in SUSTAIN bowls.

As I use my designs in my home, they can also evolve over time. SUTAIN is also progressing on a journey of change and transformation as I use it frequently on my desk, in the kitchen and in the living room.

Ozlem Tuna

20.January.2024.
Tomtom, Istanbul