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After spending months in lockdown in the city that never sleeps, the creative found inner balance — hers and of each house.

Creative Lale Boz made new NORMAL more adaptable

New York is the city of infinite possibilities, and no, that's not a cliché. 🗽

Everyone may have a different opinion, an unique description, an itinerary to indicate, but there's a consensus: there is no place in the world like the city that never sleeps.

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METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - Lale Boz wearing a leather coat taking pictures of herself

The home chosen by decorator and creative LALE BOZ is somewhat reminiscent of her homeland, Turkey, as it is also vibrant, full of history, and a meeting of different cultures. But her city awakened an even bolder, carefree, confident Boz, becoming the home of her own business.

METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - Lale Boz wearing a brown leather oversized coat and a brown leather bag

METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - a living room with a black leather couch and leather furniture

Despite all the negative aspects of the pandemic, spending a lot of time alone made us think more, brought back our curiosity, encouraged new hobbies, and spawned new jobs. After at least 4 months totally indoors, Lale came up with the idea for NORMAL, which she describes as an "Interior mood board for our new normal at home." 🛋

METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - a living room with leather furniture and plants

METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - a living room with plants and two beige leather couches

METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - a living room with a black leather couch and beige leather pouf

In addition to a new journey in business, BOZ changed her home and her own interior during this period. Let her be your guide through neighborhood energy, diversity of people, and mental health, and discover the personality of the ideal leather chair in our exclusive chat below. 👇

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METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - Lale Boz walking in the street wearing a black leather jacket and an air force green and white leather sneakers

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METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - Lale Boz photographing the Brooklyn bridge

In your clothes and lifestyle, we can see that you breathe NYC. How do the city and the places you hang around inspire you?

Even before I moved to NYC, the city was a force of drive for me. I was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, a very vibrant city, full of history that brings together so many cultures. My style was never a minimalist one; however, after moving here, it definitely became even bolder, and in a way, careless. I wear what pleases me and my mood on that day, and the city gives me the perfect location to walk with confidence.

When I moved to this city, for a long time, I switched from one neighborhood to another for living to find the right one for myself. Interestingly, I have always been a downtown person, almost in a way that it's rare I go up to 14th street. I wanted to experience different lifestyles because I believe every neighborhood has its own energy.

"There is no city in the world, in my belief, that will accept you with all your differences as New York does."

There is limitless freedom to be whoever you want to be here, freedom of expression, individuality, creativity, and being true to who you are.

I believe that there aren't many rules in fashion anymore, there are no strict color codes anymore, no one questions wearing black with brown, for example, we all became somewhat eclectic. That rule-free lifestyle is what the city will always offer to its people.

"One thing about NYC that constantly inspires me is that everyone has a goal and dream here, many people have more than one interest and expertise, many creative minds all around."

METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - Lale Boz wearing a green suede New Balance sneakers

You can have a motivating and inspiring conversation any time of the day, the city is really high in creative energy.

I know that there is always some sort of fashion happening. For a long time now, '90s style has been dominating the street, but here, you don’t need to obey any fashion that could potentially fade away one day.

"The city really helps you to bring the real you, it appreciates the attitude."

Last year, with the severity of the pandemic, we heard: even the city that never stops has stopped. About Normal, you said: "Interior mood board created in not so normal times of today, for our new normal at home." So, how was your search for peace in the midst of the casual chaos before all this?

Before the pandemic, I was not much of a homebody.

I always loved being with people, even when I was working outside with my laptop, I still preferred to be in one of my favorite coffee shops with others doing the same around me. I can find calm on my own despite being surrounded by people or loud music.

Last year, for the first time, I stayed home without leaving it even for a minute for several months, which ended up changing all my routine. Normally, home is our comfort zone, yet I had to push myself out of mine to get used to being still.

For me, before all this major life change, my biggest search for peace happened with long daily walks around the city. Music in my ears, I sometimes walked for hours in the afternoons post-work to clear my mind off. I have a very imaginative mind, it rarely stops, I visualize my ideas and dreams a lot, those walks became my moments to gather my ideas within silence.

METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - Lale Boz wearing colorful Air Force 1 leather sneakers

How did you adapt your outdoor life to the new normal indoors?

After those months, I moved into my new home in New York, where I created the idea of NORMAL; a platform to highlight how much our relationship with our homes has changed throughout the year, how much they have become the most important spaces in our lives. Now looking back, still spending most of my time at home, I incorporated life around me in order to still maintain that need to be surrounded with energy.

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METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - a chair with leather details

For instance, plants have become an important part of making homes a more peaceful space. I never expected to turn my place into a jungle, but seeing my plants grow so big within time, receiving the love and care I give them, makes me very happy.

With the pandemic, for the first time, I learned to work out and motivate myself on my own – which now has become one of the biggest parts of my daily routine and peaceful moment.

Lastly, what made me find peace at home in these times was to always remind myself that I was not alone in this process. This is a collective journey, we all have been going through it in our own unique way.

While creating NORMAL, and now daily sharing and helping people decorate their homes, I can easily see that all of us are still trying to make home a priority, turn it into a space of happiness where we won't be feeling like we're missing something. My goal with NORMAL is to bring together a community of people interested not only in interior design but also in turning their homes into very happy spaces.

The energy you bring into your space matters more than the furniture and design. I always say this, your relationship with yourself and the world really depends on you, not where you live. Sometimes, the biggest healing or finding of peace happens where you had the most trouble. Despite having let go of my previous life and adjusted to this new normal.

"I have become a calmer person that finally feels belonged to her home, not searching for a home somewhere else."

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METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - Lale Boz sitting on a white leather couch in her living room

If you were a place in NYC, what would it be? And what about a piece of furniture in your house, what would you be?

Maybe, it could sound cliché, but without even thinking, I would say the fountain in the middle of Washington Square Park. I do call it one of my happy places in the city because I see it as a center of very high energy. NYC has many neighborhoods with many characteristics, but I feel like in WSP you can truly see many different people from many different origins coming there to find peace of mind.

Some show their art, some skateboard, some come there to have a date, there are people reading, singing, there are tarot card readers, some are just sitting in silence and capturing the moment… It's truly a place of acceptance. As a foreigner in the city, I relate to this accepting and welcoming energy without any judgments.

If I were to choose any furniture in my home, I'd say I most relate to my Marcel Breuer Wassily Chair. I always say that my personal style and energy have both feminine and masculine components. I really love to show my femininity, but I have an edge, the mix reflects on my character. I always loved wearing menswear items, added my mother's vintage jewelry to spice it up. I see this mix of energy within the design of Wassily Leather Chair as well. I have a vintage one in black.

METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - a living room with a white leather couch and leather furniture

Breuer's aesthetic focuses on functionality and quality. Even though it's a minimalist chair, it has a very strong character. The steel frame and the stretched leather canvas give the masculine quality to the chair, while the form has soft, round edges, there aren't any strong edges or corners, hence my feeling that it also has some feminine energy.

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METCHA - Lale Boz - new normal - New York City - a white leather couch and a chair with leather details

It's hard to tell where the bending of the steel starts or ends, thus, making it feel there is a constant motion, even as a chair. It doesn't need any introduction, the character speaks for itself. With every work I do, every dream I achieve to create or even in my relationships, I try to blend these contrast qualities that somehow end up in a harmonized conclusion.