Embracing tradition, envisioning the future: Parla's fruitful design journey

In today’s challenging climate for business, companies with a long and distinguished heritage have an advantage over younger enterprises as they can draw on decades of experience in overcoming market fluctuations. In the design industry, knowledge passed down over generations can be vital, as companies are required to adapt to shifts in consumer behaviour or the latest revolutionary technologies. These established businesses are often able to thrive during difficult times by developing products that balance innovation with tradition and transcend trends to instead deliver lasting success.

With a history dating back to 1910, Turkish furniture design and manufacturing brand Parla can draw on over a century of experience as a market-leading provider of fitted furniture, bespoke joinery projects and high-end contemporary products. The Istanbul-based firm started out with the first generation crafting furniture for the renovation of the Ottoman Royal Family’s Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul. Over the following decades, Parla combined heritage craft skills with the latest technologies to ensure it was consistently able to anticipate and fulfil its customers’ evolving needs.

‘We are a third-generation family-owned business that is seriously committed to supplying the best quality freestanding and fitted furniture,’ says Parla’s Head of Design, Betül Inci. ‘We achieve this with a beautiful blend of very experienced traditional handcraft masters working with high-tech machinery to balance design, craft and manufacture with respect for the environment.’

For much of its history Parla, which means ‘shining’ in Turkish, focused on creating bespoke furniture for interior design projects. The company is well respected within the hospitality sector and has completed projects for leading venues including the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Frederick’s Restaurant & Bar in Berlin, and Hotel Amano Covent Garden in London. These projects were led by Parla’s in-house creative team, working in collaboration with some of the world’s top architects and designers. More recently, the company has established its own contemporary furniture collection based on products originally created for these hospitality settings.

‘Parla has had an in-house design team for many years,’ explains Inci. ‘Over time, it became clear that the different products designed by this team had to be arranged with a certain concept and perspective and proceeded on a predetermined style. This situation triggered the establishment of the Parla Collection.’

The original furniture pieces were an instant success, picking up prizes such as the Good Design Award 2021 for the Nigiri Chair. The new 2023 collection expands on these bold yet simple products, providing further options that can be specified for use in premium residential and hospitality settings. A new bar stool has been added to the Nigiri family, for example, applying the same Asian influences and contemporary styling to create a distinctive and versatile seat. The Hug seating family has also been extended to include an armchair that utilises the same embracing form and soft bouclé upholstery as the original Hug Sofa.

In addition to designing new pieces in-house, Parla works with leading architects and designers to develop innovative products with an international outlook. Its latest launches include the elegant Fau A Chair created in collaboration with Istanbul-based Kilit Tasi Design Studio, which features an organically shaped wooden frame with a sophisticated Scandinavian feel. In September the brand will present a new outdoor collection developed in collaboration with French designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte.

As a forward-thinking business intent on leaving a positive legacy for future generations, Parla is dedicated to manufacturing with sustainability in mind. By the end of 2023, all varnishes used in the Parla Collection will be water-based, 70 per cent of standard fabric options will be locally sourced, 50 per cent of standard outdoor fabrics will be made from recycled materials and all plastic packaging will be biodegradable. The company has already achieved numerous accreditations relating to its manufacturing processes and has set ambitious targets in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.

Parla's sustainability objectives will continue to guide the development of the company’s collection in the coming years, along with its commitment to creating innovative products that make the most of its outstanding craft heritage. The firm also has ambitions to expand its distribution to ensure designers around the world have access to its expertly-made modern furniture.

‘Parla currently has more than 30 international dealers and serves in four different continents,’ says Inci, adding that the company has a clear strategy in place to ensure it continues innovating and adapting in the coming years. ‘In the medium term, one of our goals is to add new and non-furniture product groups to our collection and to start using e-commerce channels,’ she explains. ‘We also want to make our design team more international and increase our sales points. We have a long way to go but we have a plan and we are confident that we will achieve these objectives.’

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