Interior Designer Who Brings Cultures Together

However many miles Oz Bengur has come in politics, Sara has traveled still further in her career. While Oz is not yet one of the 100 elected to enter the senate, Sara, is one of the country’s top 100 interior decorators, according to evaluations made by House Beautiful Magazine.



Sara Bengur was one of four children of an economist father who worked for the IMF.  Her father grew up in Samsun where his father (and Sara’s grandfather) was the Mayor.  He came to the U.S. 65 years ago from Turkey.  

FAMILY’S PRIDES
Sara Bengur, was born in 1965 in Washington D.C. and lived in one of the most famous neighborhoods of Istanbul, Bebek, for almost seven years. She went to school at Robert College. Once they completed their education, Sara’s older siblings, also became well known in their own professions. Belkiz, a therapist who uses yoga in her practice, Osman, a politician, and Resai, a doctor at Rainbow Babies in Cleveland, Ohio, are the pride of their parents from Samsun.

Sara Bengur’s success on the New York Design scene is not surprising considering that she comes from a family of overachievers.  Her brother Osman (Oz) Bengur has devoted his years to politics in the halls of Washington. In fact, Oz is the first Turkish candidate to run for the U.S. Congress.  

HER NAME BECAME A TRADEMARK
Sara returned to the U.S. after living in Istanbul and studied Economics at Colby College in Maine. Although she started her career as a financer, she soon decided to utilize her knowledge of business and creative instinct as an Interior Designer.  In her formative years she worked for the well-known New York design firm Stephen Sills.  This creative training helped her to develop a keen knowledge of the business and of her own aesthetic.

Bengur, who started her own company 14 years ago, became famous by giving her office her name: Sara Bengur Interiors, Inc.  A young decorator who still has a very high-class clientele, Bengur emphasizes that the cost of the decor depends on the material she uses and the size of the area.  
Bengur’s design projects spans anywhere from one to four years. She rarely uses new furniture when designing and prefers to mix antiques with interesting contemporary pieces. One of her goals is to create her own line of products.

“THE HAREM IS VERY IMPRESSIVE”
She has been interviewed and mentioned in many important magazines, such as Elle Décor, House & Garden, House Beautiful, New York and W. She was selected as one of the best 125 decorators of the U.S. by House Beautiful magazine since 2000.  She was also named as one of the best 100 decorators of New York by Gotham Magazine.

She believes traveling and seeing new places improves her work. She often favors materials brought from Turkey and feels that they create a harmony, which is palatable and serene. Bengur counts the Topkapi Palace Harem and as one of the places she most admires in Turkey and especially loves its colors, ceramics, and overall harmony.

Sara Bengur’s office, located at 26th Street and 11th Avenue, is designed with the delicate sensibility that defines her design aesthetic.  In her space, the Anatolian and American lifestyles have merged.  The rugs have Anatolian motifs; the ceramics on the wall are from Iznik, and the mosaic-meeting table is a special find from a market in Morocco.

(March 2006, 19th Issue)