The home of fashion designer Rifat Ozbek and his partner, Erdal Karaman, lies in one of the most romantic spots on Turkey’s Bodrum peninsula. Their house is situated in the village of Yalikavak which is surrounded by rugged hills that overlook the Aegean Sea. It was built by local masons, who used stone carved from the local landscape.
The well-known Turkish architect Ahmet Igdirligil had been commissioned to build the cottage by an American seeking to build a house in “five acres of unspoilt olive grove”. The result was a traditional building with small windows and very thick walls, as a barrier to the summer heat.
“We fell in love with the house that very instant.” remembers Ozbek when looking back on their first entry into the garden, which was filled with the scent of orange and tangerine blossom. However, the house needed some restoration and improvements, so Ozbek and Karaman re-hired Igdirligil to do the work.
First they installed French windows in the living-room and bedroom allowing access to balconies with views across the nearby bay. They then added an outdoor kitchen with an outside dining area constructed in the form of a decked terrace. An old stone fire surround carved with Seljuk motifs is the perfect focus point in which to grill fish and dine alfresco with friends.
The interior of the house, which Ozbek describes as ‘contemporary Anatolian’, is a simple composition, which is surprising given his unconventional use of colour in his fashion work. Traditional built-in sofas (sedirs) reduce general clutter whilst a low painted table from Morocco and a Senegalese pale tangerine-coloured silk throw give the main room the trademark Ozbek flair.
Pastel shades and the breezy lime-white of the walls are enhanced with vibrant explosions of colour including blue glass beads and printed cottons from the bazaars of Central Asia and North Africa. Pop-art posters, photographs and collectible pieces add to the crafted palette of the interior. Religious art, such as the carved wooden alems that once crowned an old village mosque, stand elegantly in the corner of the living room.
Ozbek and Karaman like to spend at least half of their year in this Turkish house surrounded by the most incredible scenery. Having had a career that has lasted over 30 years, he was been widely acclaimed and noted for having dressed fashion icons ranging from the Princess of Wales to the supermodel Kate Moss. Their Yalikavak hideaway provides them both much needed tranquility and rest.
Photographs by Solvi dos Santos
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