Baron Venus
We talked to Dila Atalay, who designs qualified and well-thought-out products for the relationship between food and children, about her brand BARON VENUS, which she created by taking inspiration from her children.
First of all, how did your motherhood and designer backgrounds come together so perfectly?
During my design journey before becoming a mother, I enjoyed working in many different disciplines such as illustration, graphics, ceramics, fashion and interior architecture. After becoming a mother, when I had time to make designs for my children's needs, it started to feel very good for me to bring these designs to life, and I made it a lifestyle. My first gift to Baron was the duvet cover set that I designed for him and embroidered by my mother's hands. This is how our story began.
What is the story behind the name Baron Venus? How did it come about?
Baron is the name of my first child. When the Baron started eating, our lives began to center around the table. Both my wife and I grew up in families that gave importance to good food and table culture. My Greek wife's yaya used to cook for the whole family every afternoon until she passed away at the age of 96. Therefore, the objects we use at the table, the presentation of the food and the quality of the time spent around the table are very valuable to us. Eating at home is the celebration of the day and the most enjoyable routine for us.
When the Baron had just joined our table, I bought a glass plate and bowl for him, which I thought he would like and found very stylish. The Baron loved the texture of the glass, but the plate could have been designed more suitable for children.
Thus, the idea of designing a collection of functionally suitable, high-quality, healthy, sustainable and stylish pieces made of "real" materials for children came to my mind. Drawings, prototypes, production processes, the 'Baron Venus' brand was born. And right after that, my daughter Venus was born. Both of my children grew up throughout the brand's research process, testing prototypes and pitching their ideas. Baron even drew the brand's logo himself when he started holding a pencil.
Where does the focus on quality products for children come from and how does it differ?
I think that the objects that adorn a child's childhood memories should be heirloom pieces that can be passed down from generation to generation, rather than being thrown away because of the value and meaning they carry. For example, the Baron's first water glass was a silver cup that his father used when he was a baby. I had the Baron's name written on it. The cup is priceless to us and will remain in our showcase until the Baron gifts it to his children.
Why shouldn't products that delight adults with both their quality and aesthetics be produced for our children? Children who are introduced to quality products at an early age learn not only beauty and quality, but also what it means to use them with care and attention. Over time, these children internalize respect for blessings as well as objects.
How did you come up with the idea that children could also use such luxury materials?
In fact, we started our brand's journey with the idea of using both child and environmentally friendly materials rather than luxury materials. While designing the collection, I researched many materials and decided to enter the production process with the materials that I thought were best for children's development. For example, glass and porcelain are the materials most suitable for contact with food in terms of health. Apart from its aesthetic appearance, silver is a material with antibacterial properties. Apart from being produced from 100% cotton fabric, Lyocell threads used in the embroidery of our aprons and produced from tree cellulose are the most sensitive threads for the skin. When I started researching the workshops that could best produce these materials around the world, I had the opportunity to meet better materials as the quality of workmanship in the workshops increased. Today, Baron Venus products are produced in limited quantities with expert craftsmanship in workshops that have been producing for generations.
Can you inform us a little about your production process?
Before starting the production process, I researched the eating habits of children. Together with a design company in London, we brought my ideas to the engineering and then prototype stage. We tested the ergonomics of our products with Baron for a long time. Details such as portions, forms, how little hands grasp the products, and the ratio of fork and spoon to the mouth were very important to us.
Our crystal glasses are made from lead-free Swedish crystal in the Czech Republic, in the workshop of a world-renowned master glassblower. The colored glass in the 'Cosmic' glasses is produced in Germany. Our glasses are blown using traditional methods in a mold I designed.
Our plates are produced from hard porcelain in a 100-year-old porcelain workshop in Germany. The drawings on the plates are my hand drawings. I wrote the stories accompanying the plates based on our daily lives and memories and illustrated them using blue ink. Before these paintings are baked at high temperatures, they are applied to the plates with pigments that do not harm health, making them dishwasher and microwave resistant.
Our silver forks, knives and spoons are hand-made in Istanbul by expert craftsmen using centuries-old methods and polished by hand for a long time. A master craftsman who has been doing this job for 40 years engraves personalized names on silver by hand.
I designed our table aprons when Venus was one year old. After removing the bosses, we produced the first samples on my mother's sewing machine. It was not easy to find a workshop that could produce these aprons with the quality and mastery I wanted. Just when I was about to give up, I met a very good workshop in Istanbul. Our aprons are produced by hand in Istanbul with the highest quality threads, going through many stages.
Creating a brand with strong stories at its core, what inspires you in this process?
Everything I like visually and find meaningful! Nature, the sea, the characters of Baron and Venus and their interactions with each other and with us... And of course, the time we spend at the table...
What do you think about their relationship with the plate on which food is eaten and the glass in which drinks are consumed, according to their contents?
In fact, I think the more special the objects in which food is served, the more special that food or drink becomes, because eating is a very sensory activity that nourishes both our body and soul. For this reason, objects that create sensory experiences for our children should be produced from 'real' materials, just like the food they eat. I think the material should have 'real' weight, temperature, texture and most importantly, it should not spoil the taste of the food or drink put in it.
We try not to consume food or drinks from plastic containers, even on picnics, because I do not like the taste of food changed by plastic, and I do not want my children to consume food and water with such changed taste.
Baron and Venus are also your children, you must spend most of your time with them. What are your daily routines together lately?
This year, Baron started the first grade of primary school and Venus started kindergarten. After the Baron comes from school, he sits at his desk to paint. Me and Venus also join the Baron. We both paint and chat. Then we go to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Our father usually prepares dinner. We also help and set the table together. After dinner, we listen to some music, dance a little, and first Baron and then Venus get ready for bedtime. Venus enjoys setting our table when we have guests.
We do our weekly shopping at the organic market in Bomonti every Saturday and do not leave the market without eating potato and nettle pancakes. After spending time at the horse club in the afternoon, we usually have an early dinner at Petra Maslak and return home. Lately, we have been cooking together on Sundays using the vegetables we buy from the market. The Baron enjoys making salads the most, but lately Venus has taken this task away from him.
What is your own daily coffee routine? Which country's coffees do you prefer?
I drink the first coffee of the day during my second breakfast routine with Venus. I can say that the first sip of my coffee was my favorite moment of the day. If I stop by Petra Gayrettepe to shop for bread with the kids after school, I drink my second coffee there. My favorite beans are Ethiopian coffees, but I also really like Rwanda.
