DEFNE KOZ
Defne Koz was born in Ankara in 1964. Graduated in Milan and then professor at the Domus Academy, in the ‘90es, she works in the studio of Ettore Sottsass, which had a great influence on her idea of design. Design: an interaction between the culture of her homeland, Turkey, and the Italian culture, joined together by her curiosity towards different kinds of products. In her works, in fact, the contemporary style of the Milan school can always be traced, together with the simple and evocative splendor of the Middle East. Today Defne Koz lives and works among her studios in Milan, Istanbul and Chicago. Some of her most important cooperation are: the reinterpretation of the of metal handcrafting technique for Alessi, the study of innovative glass decorations for Egizia, the transfer of the quality features of Murano glass onto the new plastic materials for Guzzini, the suggestion of new plastic materials for the bathroom for Vitra; and the renewal of the traditional Iznik ceramics in Turkey. She has won many and famous prizes, such as the Red Hot Award in 2006 and in 2009. For what concerns her job as a professor, she has held many courses and seminars in universities like the Domus Academy (Milan), the Fukui Prefecture (Japan), the Architectural Association (London), the Bilgi University (Istanbul), the Centro Borges (Buenos Aires), the Design Week (Belgrade), the Design Week (Istanbul).