“A personal touch ”
An interview with Ayca Vural-Cutts has been published on this month’s SW Resident magazine. Have a look!

Ayca Vural-Cutts is an architect who likes to listen and makes it her personal mission to deliver a project.

At times during my career as a journalist, when viewing projects for design interviews and property interviews, it can seem like some of the different spaces simply blend into one.

Often it has been the case that I view a property but struggle to see the identity of the owner or the individual who has commissioned it to be designed or renovated. But there are also many talented designers in our city who have made it their mission to ensure that each project is delivered by a very small team on a very personal level, in tum allowing the designer the opportunity to truly get to know the owner of the property and to therefore ensure that there is something within the project that reflects their individual tastes.

Istanbul-born, Tooting-based architect Ayca Vural-Cutts is one of those designers, and her business Studio AVC is an intimate practice, ensuring that there is always a close bond between designer and client. Having worked in a senior design role at Zaha Hadid Architects, it’s no surprise that people trust and want Vural¬ Cutts to deliver their project.

Working for these practices, she has been involved in a range of international projects including: the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre in Riyadh; the Khan Shatyry Entertainment Centre, the tallest tensile structure in the world; and the Palace of Peace in Astana, which was designed and built in less than two years. But in 2013, Vural-Cutts decided to use her skills and set up her own architectural and interior design studio, which is where Studio Ave was born. With a background in both interior design and architecture, Vural-Cutts likes to think that she brings an holistic approach to building design.

‘I approach every project individually, so that I understand the criteria and the budget, and I can work out how it can be designed in the best way,’ she says. ‘Design is very important for us.

Being a small studio is important because I personally deal with our clients and can go to every meeting which makes it more personal. We try to be creative and innovative with our approach. We don’t accept every project, because I like my ideas to be similar to the clients’ idea. We try to be creative and innovative with our approach.’

Vural-Cutts is passionate about the local area as both a resident and a designer, which has led her to become a member of Wandsworth Council’s Design Review Panel. This means that when there is a project that is going to be built within the Wandsworth area that is going to be bigger than 50 dwellings, Vural¬ Cutts will advise on the project with others. ‘I am passionate about working in Tooting, I love south west London,’ she smiles. ‘I also think it makes it much more personal again for my clients that they come to my house.’

I wonder what she thinks of the architecture and design in south west London. ‘It’s improving constantly,’ she says. ‘It’s regenerating all the time. Tooting and around the area is improving

in a better way, it keeps adapting to the time and I like the fact that it is diverse and constantly changing.

There is not one type of building around in south west London.’

Having just taken on a period house in Tooting, Vural-Cutts tells me how they tried to keep the originality of the house and that she enjoyed the project immensely. The brief was to enlarge an Edwardian period house, redesign the interiors and reinforce the foundations, within a very tight budget. The project now includes a new build single storey rear ground floor extension, a roof conversion, as well as a redesigned interior space.

It is clear from the finished product here that there was a clear understanding between Vural-Cutts and the client. The biggest challenge was the small budget and the age of the property. ‘I’m proud of the project because I think we understood the client very well and the client is very happy to live within the final project,’ she smiles.

If you want a project delivering with a smile, a cup of tea in Tooting and a personal approach then Studio Ave is the one for you.

https://archive.org/details/sw-resident-magazine-2018-05/page/n31/mode/2up