The Gate is an interdisciplinary initiative founded by award-winning architects and designers Esra Ecem Öksüz and Reyhan Uras.
From the very first moment of our establishment, we have dedicated The Gate as to be a contributor to our world.
We believe that architecture and design are paths that guide and lead people back to their authentic true selves. They are different forms of expression shaped by the same intention.
The gate is a starting point where ideas are handled with care.
We work with those who are willing to imagine; we listen, observe, and analyze them. Sometimes we transform ideas into buildings, sometimes into living spaces, sometimes into products, and at times into a holistic creation.
Among all tools, design plays one of the most vital roles in guiding us back to our essence. As The Gate, we fully embrace this responsibility.
ESRA ECEM ÖKSÜZ
Co-Founder | MSc. Architect | Water Therapy | Breathwork Coach
After completing my undergraduate studies in architecture at Istanbul Technical University, I completed my master's degree in Architectural Design from the same university. I graduated in 2012; however, I had already began engaging in professional practice while still being a graduate student. From the very beginning, what motivated me the most was the desire to transform the world through design. I have always been fascinated by how a space can evoke a subtle energy, an invisible yet tangible atmosphere. Indeed, "The Aura of Space" was at the heart and was central theme of my Master's thesis.
I have always believed that spaces carry energy. They can uplift or suppress us. Over time, I began to see more clearly how far we have drifted from our essence; how disconnected we have become from nature, water, trees, and earth within the concrete jungle of cities. Through my personal healing journey over the past few years, I received training in Water Therapy and Breathwork Coaching. Along with this process, my intention has also transformed. Today, I feel being called to create spaces that honor our true nature and sacred geometry, embody beauty, and support the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of human beings.
Over the years, I've gained experience in international hotel and large-scale complex projects, and I now aim to channel that experience to wellness-focused spaces. Currently, at THE GATE, together with my dear partner Reyhan Uras, we bring this vision to life.
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REYHAN URAS
Co-Founder | MSc.Architect | Homeopath
After graduating from Yıldız Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture in 2005, I completed my master’s degree in Product Design at Domus Academy in Milan. Until the end of 2008, I continued my professional career in Italy as an architect, primarily working on hotel projects.
For many years, specialized in hospitality, I took part — from the concept design stage through to opening day — in numerous domestic and international hotel projects of global hotel chains as an architectural and interior design project head manager and associate.
During my personal healing journey, while exploring the balance and wholeness of the body, mind, and soul, I realized that my perspective on architecture, design, and substance had completely transformed. Alongside my passion and curiosity for my profession, my interests began to expand into other fields and I have also been nourished by them. I am among the Turkish students of the School of Homeopathy UK’s three year diploma program. I believe that the sense of wellbeing created by the spaces we experience parallels our inner search for wholeness and our need for it.
In today’s world, where the rhythm of life flows much more dynamically, I believe that professions now serve far more than simply maintaining predefined roles within established frameworks. For this reason, I approach design — or rather creation— from a holistic perspective, independent of strict labels. I embrace a holistic and integrative approach that encompasses architecture, interior architecture, product design, branding, and beyond. Together with my dear partner Esra Ecem Öksüz, the very purpose of founding THE GATE, was precisely to bring all of this and much more under one shared vision.
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