Bringing designers together with the Turkish furniture industry to spread a culture of design across the sector, boost global competitiveness, and build the Turkish Furniture brand worldwide, the “Boundary-Breaking Design Competition” has announced its winners.
Organized this year with the theme of Eco-Design by the Aegean Furniture, Paper and Forestry Products Exporters’ Association and supported by the Ministry of Trade, the 5th Boundary-Breaking Design Competition Awards Ceremony was held at the Historic Gas Factory (Tarihi Havagazı Fabrikası).
In the professional category, Alper Gündüz took first prize with his design “YO TABLE,” while in the student category, Beyza Tunç and Selin Yürekli won first place with their design “MORPHI.”
Gürle: “We aim to bring designers and the furniture industry together”
Emphasizing the significant steps taken to unite designers with the furniture industry, to spread a design culture, and to build a global Turkish Furniture brand, Ali Fuat Gürle, Chairman of the Aegean Furniture, Paper and Forestry Products Exporters’ Association, said: “As Türkiye, we must place greater emphasis on design to increase our average export unit price in the furniture sector. In 2024 our average price per kilo is USD 3.41. As Aegean Furniture, our average export unit price is USD 3.45. The fact that we export at a higher unit price shows that we are on the right path toward higher value-added exports thanks to our activities—yet there is still a long way to go. For this, the support of our stakeholders is always vital.”
In addition to the Boundary-Breaking Design Competition, Gürle noted that they aim to explore new markets by focusing on overseas marketing through Sectoral Trade Delegations, Purchasing Delegations, fairs, and the URGE Clustering project. He added: “As an Association, we attach great importance to purchasing and trade delegation organizations. In 2024, we enabled our companies to seize new business opportunities with delegations in Saudi Arabia (May), Morocco (October), and India (December); and in 2025 with delegations to Iraq (February), Saudi Arabia (May), and Chicago, USA (June), aligned with NeoCon Show 2025. We hope to close this year with a Bulgaria–Romania delegation in November and, in December, a Saudi Arabia Trade Delegation for the building materials sector organized jointly with our Mining and Iron Unions. Of course, our efforts to promote our sector worldwide will continue next year and beyond. Beyond delegation activities, within our UR-GE project we held numerous trainings and, in September, realized our first overseas marketing activity with a Furniture China fair visit alongside 16 participating companies.”
Tugay: “The Boundary-Breaking Design Competition is an honor for İzmir”
Attending the Awards Ceremony for the second time, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay emphasized that hosting the competition in İzmir is an honor for the city.
“Furniture is a dynamic sector that consistently maintains its vitality in İzmir and our region,” Tugay said. “As a city that already contributes strongly to Türkiye’s furniture exports, İzmir has always done its part. We all know we can do even better. We, as the Metropolitan Municipality, are always ready to support more advanced efforts. This year’s theme is eco-design. Ecology, environment, and climate are priorities not only in furniture but across all sectors. This competition unites the energy and creativity of youth with a forward-looking vision. That’s why I believe it is so valuable. I congratulate each and every participant who contributed, made it to the finals, and will receive awards here today.”
Touching on İzmir’s identity as a trading city, Tugay concluded: “We must never forget this. In İzmir, furniture ranks as the third-largest exporting sector, and in terms of sectoral diversity, the city is the second widest in the country. With all this potential, the sector is poised to advance further. I truly believe in your success and trust you wholeheartedly. Our door will always be open to every project and idea that will contribute to our city and our country. Thank you very much.”
Güleç: “Trump is showcasing our sector’s importance to the world”
Sharing that—excluding China—the furniture sector’s production and exports are carried out by developed countries accounting for 50 percent of the global total, MOSFED President and TIM Vice President Ahmet Güleç pointed out that the tariffs recently announced by U.S. President Donald Trump concerning the furniture sector highlight its importance.
Implying that the sector’s issues are not always fully understood in Ankara, Güleç said: “We are pleased that a country like the U.S., strong in industry and a driver of global trade, considers the furniture sector important. When we explain the significance of furniture to our policymakers, it can sound like we’re just voicing our own concerns. Yet furniture is a customer to every manufacturing industry without exception—not only wood, but also metal, chemicals, marble, leather, textiles, all of them. By its nature, it brings technology and is employment-friendly. That’s why both developed and developing countries strive to compete in furniture.”
Underscoring that, over the last quarter-century, the Turkish furniture sector has earned praise globally in design, quality, and trade, Güleç continued: “Türkiye is a country that matters in the global furniture market with 45,000 manufacturers. We export to 200 countries. In the last 20 years, we increased exports 17-fold in dollar terms. In the last 10 years, our share of global furniture trade rose from 0.5 to 2.1 percent. In Türkiye’s overall exports, furniture’s share climbed from 0.7 to 2 percent. Trade wars have existed since the 16th century, but today’s trade wars are different. Producers without a compelling story or consumer value have almost no chance of gaining a share in world trade. For our future as a furniture sector, design is indispensable. Through design, we both increase added value and capture share in global trade. That’s why the Boundary-Breaking Design Competition has contributed positively to the Aegean Region’s furniture exports throughout its five editions. I am grateful to all who conceived and organized this competition.”
Deputy Minister of Trade Özgür Volkan Ağar, Turkish Exporters Assembly President Mustafa Gültepe, and Aegean Exporters’ Associations Coordinator President Jak Eskinazi also highlighted the importance of design in the furniture sector via video messages sent to the event.
The jury of the 5th Boundary-Breaking Design Competition was chaired by Fulden Dehneli, with members Berkay Gürsoy, Ece Yalım, Enrique Marti, Fikri Doruk Yorgancıoğlu, Gamze Güven, Mehmet Mehmetalioğlu, Özlem Yalım, Öznur Turan Eke, Serdal Korkut Avcı, and Pietro Alba.
13 sponsors contributed
MOSFED and Bambi Mobilya supported the competition as Platinum Sponsors, while Decosit, Altuntaş Baharat, and Yurteri Palet participated as Gold Sponsors. Ananas Mobilya, BIOP Biotech, Bofigo, Efor Fuarcılık, EMODER, My Viscoo, Ofismod, and Vizyon Büro served as Bronze Sponsors. (Altuntaş, Yurteri, and Decosit as Gold Sponsors; Bambi and MOSFED as Platinum Sponsors.)
Student Category – Top 10
- MORPHI – Beyza Tunç, Selin Yürekli
- MİLO – Mesude Çoban
- ARVIA – Esra Nur Sezgin
- MODLOO – Eren Sargın
- INCLINO – Orkun Vanizor
- 25 – Elifsu Bayar
7–10: BRENTO – Emre Kocaer; LOOVA – Fatma Nur Nehir; FLORAME – Cemre Su Özmen; COMFOROLL – Melisa Kandemir
Professional Category – Top 10
- YO TABLE – Alper Gündüz
- FLIP – Ekim Güney Öztürk
- ELOYA – Işık Gören
- ORIGAMI – Serdar Deniz
- FOAM TABLES – Tuğçegül Ülker
- DUO PLAY – Ekim Güney Öztürk
7–10: RE TABLE – Mehmet Atalay Yılmaz; HAPİİ – Yağmur Ünsal; PINO – Ali Tayip Yılmaz; KIVA – Ali Tayip Yılmaz