FIYEL LEVENT
Atelier
Fiyel Levent Atelier is a New York City based multidisciplinary design studio with a focus on interior design, custom installations and lighting. Architect and designer Fiyel Levent founded the company in 2009 and has completed projects and ongoing experiments in architecture, art, product design and interior design. Levent’s approach is rooted in her meticulous attention to detail and drive for the highest level of quality. Her work is greatly informed by her extensive travels and interest in Central Asian and Islamic Architecture. Levent, who was born and raised in New York City, holds a Bachelor of Architecture from The Cooper Union, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Literature from The University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Before founding her eponymous firm she worked for Anik Pearson Architect. A partnership with a fabrication shop in Brooklyn has allowed her studio to explore the nature of, and experiment with, various materials – from simple paper and wood, to more complex materials such as Corian, concrete and recycled Polyethylene. The creation of her custom designs involves using cutting-edge fabrication techniques to reinterpret traditional, baroque and eastern concepts into modern and complex patterns and forms. The resulting architectural installations and lighting achieve something close to the sublime in their relationship to light.
INSPIRATION & TRAVEL
In 2007, Fiyel Levent was awarded the Deborah J. Norden Travel Grant from The Architectural League to photograph the Islamic architecture of Andalucia, Spain. In 2010, she was awarded the Stewardson Keefe LeBrun Travel Grant from The Center for Architecture in New York City to travel and document the architectures found along the Northern Silk Road, from Uzbekistan to Central China. Fiyel has given lectures at TEDx Cooper Union, The Urban Center for Architecture, Parsons and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her work has been shown at The Christopher Henry Gallery, The 41 Cooper Gallery and at The Bruce High Quality Brucennial.
Muqarnas Detail, Bukhara, Uzbekistan (above) Column Detail, Uzgen Mausoleum, Osh Province, Kyrgyzstan (right)
Arch Detail, Alcazaba Fortress, Malaga, Spain (above) Cordoba Mosque, Cordoba, Spain (left)
Door Detail, Alcazar, Seville, Spain (above) Door Detail, Alhambra, Granada, Spain (right)
Jade Tile Detail, The Tomb of the Fragrant Concubine, Kashgar, China (above) Tile Detail, Shah-i-Zinda Mausoleum Complex, Samarkand, Uzbekistan (left)
OBJECTS
Hikari TableLight Inspired by traditional Japanese paper lamps, and the work of artists Ruth Asawa and Isamu Noguchi, the paper table lights were first conceived as a series of handmade ink and pen drawings that took over one year to complete. The drawings are scanned and formatted through various programs, which allows the Studio to sculpt the patterns into an infinite number of designs. The patterns are then laser-cut onto watercolor paper, which plays a significant role in the design. While the opacity of the paper allows the designs to pop, the rigidity lends itself to the structure. Furthermore, a tab connection is designed to fasten the paper tubes together.
Material: Lasercut Paper, Custom Machined Brass Designed: 2013
Hikari PendantLight
Material: Lasercut Paper, Custom Machined Brass Designed: 2013
Folding White Screen
Material: Milled Recycled Polyethylene Completion: May 2009
SELECT COMMISSIONED WORK
Fiyel Levent Atelier takes a truly holistic approach to their work and client services. Each new project and collaboration is treated uniquely and offers Levent and her team the opportunity to push their craft to a new level. The team works exhaustively with the singular goal of ensuring that the pieces they create move beyond product and become sculptural elements within their environments. In each case, they carefully consider both how the piece relates to and fits within a space and its functionality. By playing and experimenting with intricate patterns and with light they manage to not only solve a problem or form a solution but also create a beautiful and striking design element. For each project they work closely with the client or architect and offer a number of design options, construction drawings, material and hardware options, full-scale mock-ups and installation, if required.
Custom Corian Shutters Fiyel Levent Atelier was commissioned to design and create custom shutters for a bedroom in Woodside, New York City. The client requested the design of the shutters be evocative of her heritage. Using Capiz Shell Shutters in the Philippines as a starting point, the studio explored various materials that could be used to both diffuse the direct early morning sun and keep the room lit. When they are open, the shutters blend inconspicuously with the white wall; when closed, the framed patterns glow with the diffused morning light.
Location: Woodside, New York Material: Milled Corian Completion: December 2009
Aluminum Sliding Screen After seeing Fiyel Levent’s work in an exhibition, a client requested that the studio specially design a custom brushed aluminum door for a newly renovated townhouse.
Location: Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn Material: Lasercut Aluminum Completion: September 2010
Concrete Wine Wall Architect Anik Pearson hired Fiyel Levent Atelier to design and fabricate a custom wine storage and screen wall unit for a private residence in Bridgehampton, NY. The wine wall unit consists of 12 individual, solid concrete pieces approximately 2’ wide by 4’ tall with 480 wine cubbies. Each concrete panel has a piece of slate embedded in it for the labeling of the wines. The expansive concrete piece is backlit and doubles as both a storage space and a sculptural light fixture.
Location: Bridgehampton, Long Island Material: Poured Concrete Completion: September 2011
White Paneled Corian Doors Fiyel Levent Atelier was commissioned to create custom folding doors that were also meant to be an artwork in themselves. The doors were required to integrate seamlessly into the design of the apartment. In addition, they were to be a partition in a flex-space - joining two rooms when open, and separating them when closed. The client chose a design inspired by 11th century structure in Kyrgyzstan shown in a photo taken by Fiyel on her architectural tour of the Northern Silk Road.
Location: Upper East Side, New York City Material: Milled Corian Completion: August 2012