A Wandering Eye

At Erkal Aksoy’s Alaturca House in Istanbul, contemporary Turkish paintings share the room with African masks, antique furnishings, and collected curiosities.

I’ve always had a wandering eye. Particularly when it comes to art and antiques.

One day, it might be an abstract painting that catches my attention; the next, a traditional landscape, an intriguing portrait, or a beautifully executed charcoal drawing. And just when I think I’ve seen everything, some wonderfully peculiar piece of pottery or an irresistible little sculpture comes along and distracts me all over again.

I’ve never felt particularly compelled to choose one style, period, or discipline over another. Quite the opposite. I find that the most interesting collections are often those that make the least sense on paper.

A contemporary abstract hanging above an eighteenth-century chest. A traditional portrait sharing a wall with a charcoal drawing. Ancient pottery sitting comfortably alongside a modern sculpture. Somehow, these unexpected combinations have a way of making a room feel more personal, more layered, and infinitely more interesting.

Perhaps that’s what I love most about collecting. It’s not about assembling a room full of things that match. It’s about bringing together things that speak to you, regardless of when or where they were made.

And while I certainly appreciate the importance of provenance, pedigree, and a recognizable signature, I’ve never believed that something needs to be expensive, famous, or historically significant to be worth owning.

Sometimes a modest little painting by an unknown artist can be every bit as captivating as an important work. And sometimes an ordinary piece of pottery, simply because of its shape, color, or patina, can become the most interesting object in the room.

Recently, we’ve been giving quite a bit of attention to the work of Lucienne Bienay, and I’ve had several people ask what other artwork we have in the collection.

The answer is quite a lot. Abstracts, impressionist paintings, traditional landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and works on paper. And, naturally, an equally eclectic assortment of pottery, sculpture, and decorative objects that have caught my wandering eye along the way.

I’ve always thought that the most compelling interiors tell you something about the people who inhabit them. Their travels, their curiosities, their peculiar little obsessions. A room should feel as though it has evolved over time, rather than having been assembled in a single afternoon.

After all, the pleasure of collecting isn’t necessarily knowing what you’re looking for.

Sometimes it’s discovering something you never knew you wanted.

And bringing it home.

Pottery Beneath the Staircase

The Art of Mixing Things Up

A collection of antique Anatolian pottery gathers beneath a staircase lined with midcentury paintings and contemporary works by Turkish artist Pinar Birim. Different centuries, different disciplines, and absolutely no reason they shouldn’t enjoy one another’s company.

The Charcoal Drawings

A Different Point of View

A collection of charcoal figure drawings brings a quieter, more intimate character to the bedroom. Sometimes the simplest works, an expressive line, an interesting composition, or an unfamiliar artist’s hand, can be the most compelling.

Portraits and Abstraction

Strange Bedfellows

A traditional Russian portrait hangs alongside contemporary monochromatic abstract paintings by Haluk Akakçe. Separated by artistic traditions but united by a collector’s eye, they demonstrate how contrasting works can become more interesting in one another’s company.

Below, explore our curated selection of exceptional characterful pieces, chosen to bring this same harmonious, tactile dialogue into your own home.

LEE STANTON.

Credit: Erkal Aksoy at Alaturca House, Istanbul. Photography: Mark Luscombe-Whyte. Courtesy of The World of Interiors