Book Review: Ottoman Chic new release by Assouline

Standing at the crossroads of many cultures, Ottoman style is spiced with influences from Chinese and Indian to French and Italian. In this spectacular volume, Istanbul-born interior designer Serdar Gülgün narrates a tour of his beautiful home, a historic mansion on the Asian side of the Bosporus. Constantly inspired by the atmosphere of his ancient city, Gülgün believes a successful interior design is a place of experience in which authentic elements of culture fuse and achieve alchemy, awakening all the senses and transporting its inhabitants to a place of fantasy.

Serdar Gülgün is an Istanbul-born interior designer, international lecturer, and Ottoman art expert and collector specializing in historical interiors. His collection has been exhibited several times at Topkapı Palace. Gülgün is the writer of the Louis Vuitton Istanbul Guide, and he is the author of The Grand Bazaar Istanbul (2011) for Assouline. He recently launched a home accessories brand, Serdar Gülgün Istanbul.

Swiss-born lifestyle photographer Reto Guntli travels all continents for books and articles on architecture, interiors, people, art, design, and travel. He has photographed and produced more than forty books for the best publishing houses worldwide. He regularly contributes to prestigious international magazines such asArchitectural Digest, Casa Vogue, Elle Decor, and Condé Nast Traveller. Guntli is also known for advertising shoots for international hotels and has published several books on luxury hotels, resorts, and spas around the globe. One of his latest book projects was Living in Style: Paris (teNeues), with Caroline Sarkozy.

İrem Kınay has collaborated on several books with Assouline, including The Grand Bazaar Istanbul and The Light of Istanbul. Her passion for the arts and for books resulted in a complete career change from banking and finance to become Assouline’s partner in Turkey. Since opening its doors in 2010, Assouline Istanbul has been a destination for a wide range of titles as well as for specially selected accessories for sophisticated libraries. Her sense of style has also resulted in many collaborations with artists and designers exclusively for Assouline.