One of the main reasons to go to Turkey with Tamam is to shop benefitted by their knowledge as well as their access to specialized dealers.
I have been shopping with Tamam for a few years now. Their New York shop is a small treasure trove of one of a kind textiles that gives my clients something that won’t be seen anywhere else. That is essential for my projects.
Clare modeling this unbelievable coat in Osman’s shop.The coat was purchased by one of our traveling friends for their client.
We visited so many dealers. Osman had a small room tucked away in a corner of the bazaar full of treasures. Up the stairs from him were two more lovely shops with their treasures. By this I mean suzanis, ottoman embroideries, turkish scarves with embroidered oya trim, rugs, caftans, etc, etc. The bazaar is immense. Having a guide saved time and guaranteed that we found what we were looking for.
One of the best sources for shopping with Tamam was Hüseyin himself, the third partner of Tamam.
Hüseyin is from a family of rug dealers and is one of the best. He has a small (ish) shop in Istanbul as well as a large 5-story building in Konya. Above right is Hüseyin in his Konya shop along with his chef. We were treated to lunch before an afternoon of shopping.
It was quite fun to see what everyone was putting into their piles. My new friend Ben had a love of stripes and found some wonderful additions to his new house.
There was always tea.
Some of the treasures that made it into my bag.
More treasures did not make it into my bag.
Fantastic mid-century kütahya cigarette holders. Extraordinary as a group.
It is unthinkable to use these beautifully embroidered towels to dry one’s hands, yet that was the use for these linens. This newer piece with metallic roosters tempted me.
If only I could have packed these lanterns.
Loved this striped textile with the colored bits. Would be fun to use for upholstery.
Can’t believe I left this behind.
Or this. A special Ottoman embroidery with the hand of Fatima and tulips. Seen at Osman’s.
This beauty with the images of Shahmaran, the serpent goddess, went home with one of our travelers to her home on the Cape.
Working while shopping with Tamam
Prior to my trip I realized one of my clients had a need – a certain greenish yellow textile to brighten up her room. That was on my list of things to look for while there. Turns out it wasn’t difficult to find that color on my travels. It wasn’t necessarily a common color but rather an indication of the amount present in the various shops.
On only the second day, I found this piece above. It is a Turkish block print of flowers with a geometric border. It was exactly what I was hoping to find.
The second option I found was this amazing flame of tongues needlework. Being Italian, I shouldn’t have found it in Turkey but things had ways of moving. They will add an unexpected zing of color and pattern.
Of course, we had to take home Turkish towels as gifts. We found a wonderful shop crammed full of various towels. They also do a stellar presentation with the evil eye trinket.
Casa V shops worldwide to find unique treasures.