The Hillview Apartment Has Not Changed Since the Textile Years
This sixth-floor apartment in the Hillview cooperative block was occupied by the Özdem family for almost thirty years. The owner worked as a carpet pattern designer for a regional textile workshop, preparing hand-drawn layouts and color guides used by nearby weaving factories.
The apartment remained largely unchanged from the late 1980s onward:
small entrance corridor, combined dining and sitting room, enclosed kitchen, and a narrow spare room used mainly for work materials and archived designs.
The Pattern Cabinet
Several details remain throughout the property:
- rolled tracing paper stored beneath shelving
- color sample books stacked near the desk
- framed embroidery pieces hanging beside the hallway
- tea trays and glass cups arranged inside cabinets
- winter blankets folded near the sofa
- notebooks filled with sketch grids
- textile pattern folders preserved inside a wooden cabinet
The surrounding district depended heavily on textile manufacturing for employment. During the early 2000s, however, factory closures and outsourced production affected much of the neighborhood economy. Apartment ownership remained stable at first, but maintenance standards gradually declined as families relocated elsewhere for work.
Several upper-floor units became vacant.
Repairs slowed considerably afterward.
The Özdem family reportedly remained in the apartment longer than many former coworkers because much of the owner’s design work could still be completed from home. Eventually, however, reduced commissions and increasing building maintenance costs made remaining there impractical.
After retirement, the family relocated to live closer to adult children in a smaller suburban property.
Most furniture and work materials remained behind.
The apartment was locked and left largely untouched.
Today the apartment still reflects much of its working history.
The tracing rolls remain stored by size.
The color books still rest beside the desk.
And inside the pattern cabinet, dozens of unfinished textile layouts remain stacked exactly where they were last organized.
