Moderno

The firm was established by Architect Fazıl Aysu and Interior Architect Baki Aktar in Istanbul in 1953. It stands out being a pioneer in terms of the design and production of furniture in the 1950s when furniture production was quite limited. It is possible to consider the firm as one of the landmarks in the modernization process on design area in Turkey in the 1950s. The firm dealt with the manufacture, import, and sale of the material regarding the project, the manufacture of furniture, and the interior design. The firm had a showroom of 200 m2 at Beyoğlu Cumhuriyet Avenue and a manufacturing shop next to it. It also had a second atelier, manufacturing shop, and storehouse in Cihangir and a bureau at Galata Arşimidis Inn. The atelier in Cihangir started to run with Fahir Aysu, who is Fazıl Aysu’s brother, and the showroom at Cumhuriyet Avenue was incorporated into the firm in 1949. The firm provided İlhan Koman, Şadi Çalık, and Sadi Öziş with tools to forge, material, and a place to work. Such names as Interior Architect Erkan Yolaç and Interior Architect Nuri Doğan worked with Moderno. It is true to say that many masters came through the firm structure in the 1950s. Architect Fazıl Aysu states that the number of recent staff of the firm was 84. Among the studies of the firm, there are the furniture pieces of Philips Corporate Office in Ayazpaşa, the building and furniture of Transtürk Company in Tünel, ceremonial halls of İş Bank in Ankara, Sakıp Sabancı’s father Ömer Ağa’s home, and the furniture of Umur, the presidential yacht. The firm had economic problems when it moved to the factory in Bomonti and expanded its work load, and it was closed down in 1966.