Transformation of furniture design after industrialization in Turkey

The new concepts emerging from the effects of the Industrial Revolution have transformed in various ways. These transformations influence the patterns of consumer behavior, and this influence, in turn, leads to rapid changes in the understanding of design. With the notion of mass production that has been prevalent to this day, the duration of use for products has been shortened, and disposable items became more common. Living in conditions that are constantly being changed, individuals were alienated from their customs and cultures, entering into a vicious circle. As a result, the condition of the masses who are in constant search of identity had an impact on designs as well, leading to the problem of disidentification in design. This study aims to examine and document the aforementioned changes. With the industrial revolution, mechanization gained pace as well as migration from rural to urban areas, thus transforming lifestyles in irrevocable ways. The masses who migrated to cities with the Industrial Revolution constituted a society of consumption by consuming the mass-produced goods. This newly emerged society, however, ends up losing some of its characteristics and instead tends towards ephemeral pleasures. Hence, designs are inevitably affected by these transformations, and simple and not overly intellectually demanding, standardized products were preferred by designers and manufacturers. As they exercised their intellectual capacities less, individuals were all but mechanically standardized. As individuals enter into a constant competition for status in order to stand out from the crowd, the problem of identity emerges. The impact this problem has on design is further amplified by the inducements of capitalism and global capital. Although not necessarily at once, these conditions and notions could be observed in almost every corner of the world as the world becomes a global village. In this thesis study where the transformations in furniture design as a result of the notions emerging after the Industrial Revolution and their effects on consumer behavior are examined, the disidentification in Turkish furniture design was investigated in the light of certain parameters.