The 4th annual "MOSDER Design Meetings" that took place at Istanbul's Grand Tarabya Hotel last week, welcomed world famous designers alongside several prominent names from the business world. The objective of the gathering with such important guests in attendance was to provide an insight on Turkey's furniture industry. Experts informed about the worlds design perspective and revealed the future vision of the sector. Federico Delrosso, a Milan-based Italian architect and designer, who specializes in residential, hospitality and restaurant, retail and industrial design projects, was also among those who attended the annual event this year. Following his half-hour speech, Daily Sabah had the chance to sit down with Delrosso and discuss his design philosophy, the future vision of the Turkish furniture industry and his main source of inspiration, travel.'Furniture that evokes feelings'Delrosso's "Contamina" seat appeared at Istanbul Design Week and pays tribute to the Ottoman culture.In relation to his own design philosophy and what he aims to achieve through his work, Delrosso said: "I feel as if I'm part of this movement and part of these people who are trying to establish a process and inspire. It's the idea to work and to reflect the real value of what we do. The market is trying to look at the past and reinterpret some aspects in terms of proportion, functionality and materials. When we buy furniture, we buy it for its function but we also need to consider furniture that represents us and evokes a certain feeling and ultimately gives us identity. Nowadays the sector is globalizing because of social media and how we perceive the world around us, and what we choose to consume is changing. It's always a process to re-investigate the past for future references, it's a part of our history."'Building an identity'Delrosso spoke about the future vision of the Turkish furniture industry, remarking how Turkish designs are parallel to Italian designs. He said: "I believe that because Turkey and Italy are in close proximity, we are more or less similar in lifestyle and culture. In terms of style however, both countries are still under the influence of their past traditions. This is a more chaotic and exaggerated way of living. Italy comes from the Roman Empire and Turkey comes from the Ottoman Empire, so I believe they are similar in this sense. When you are trying to find your own identity and personal style, you must take a journey to the past. Taking something from the past and altering it with a modern twist is how we should approach modern design. To me, this is the way to build an identity. This is the future of the Turkish furniture sector as well.Known for his minimalist and naturalist design philosophy, Delrosso believes that there should be a certain harmony between the interior and exterior design of a home. When we asked him how he incorporates his design philosophy to both aspects of a home, he said: "This is only possible when you design both the exterior and the interior of the home. The interior should be designed in such a way that it should complement the architecture of the building. There should be a balance between both designs. This is why I don't believe in an Anglo-Saxon approach, but I believe that American's are following European footsteps in this sense. It seems crazy to me to have one architect design the exterior and another design the interior. If there are going to be two architects, they should at least be working together from the very beginning. I don't understand why someone would buy a flat in a glass tower and then decorate it with classic furniture inside. The alchemy that emerges between the constructed space itself, those who inhabit it and the person who designed it are very important."'Istanbul is a mix of energy'Federico DelrossoDelrosso said his main source of inspiration is travel and stated: "Istanbul is always an inspiring place because it's a mix of energy and we need energy to create. Traveling to Istanbul gives me energy because I can see both modern and traditional buildings together and at the same draw inspiration from it all. However I always criticize, even when I'm in Italy, how the constant vertical growth of buildings kill the connection with the rest of the city. "Future projectsHappy to be back in Istanbul working with Turkish companies including Doğtaş and Sur Kapı to create a design concept for their new line of security doors, the Italian architect-designer hopes to come again for future projects.