COLLABORATIVE: UJ DESIGN STUDIOS
UJ Design Studios was cofounded by Umut Demirgüç Thurman and James Thurman. Working both individually and collaboratively, the married partners create a wide variety of pieces, from wearables to home furnishings. The designs draw upon a range of inspirations, including natural forms, traditional Ottoman motifs, and process-based investigations. Their combined aesthetic is a colorful and creative synergy of their playful engagement with their chosen processes and materials, which regularly include casting, copper, dieforming, electroforming, felt, fired enamel, glass, laser cutting, latheturning, powdercoating, resin, silver, steel, and Thurmanite®. Production pieces are designed to be sold at reasonable price points while one-of-a-kind works are speculative explorations of new approaches and designs.