Why I Take the Long Way

Why I Take the Long Way

I have always followed one instinct while building the By The Curator collections: to search for products that respond to real needs, that speak to one another, and that sit in harmony when they finally come together.

I did not choose the easy way.

There were hundreds of emails, countless calls, long conversations across time zones. I questioned, compared, waited, and researched. I was never interested in shortcuts. I was interested in finding what felt right — and what felt true.

 

Where This Comes From

I think this is where my character quietly steps in.

I studied directing at the Fine Arts Academy. When you make a film — whether a commercial or a short story — every detail carries weight. Colour, tone, light, silence, rhythm. Even typography holds meaning. I have always wanted things to go a little further than expected.

Choosing primary colours is the simplest path. I have always been drawn instead to the in-between tones — the subtle ones, the ones you feel before you notice them.

I am still learning. Constantly.

 

What I Am Actually Looking For

There are so many beautiful products in the world. But what I look for is not a logo or a name.

I look for the finest tea, the most honest coffee, a pen that feels right in the hand, a notebook that invites thought, cashmere and silk that feel natural and lasting.

What I am chasing is not a brand. It is real quality — pieces that can live with you for years, perhaps pass from one generation to the next.

I hope that everyone who receives a By The Curator box feels this: that time was spent, that care was taken, that nothing was chosen carelessly.

 

The Effort Behind It

I often set alarms in the middle of the night to join calls in Japan, the United States, or Central Europe. Building something still in its earliest stage — and explaining who you are and why you are doing this — is not simple.

Across hundreds of thousands of options, the question is always the same: Why you?

Answering that clearly takes courage. For me, it is difficult and simple at the same time. Because I know what I am doing. I simply tell my story.

Over the past three months, we worked until the early hours of the morning. Every single piece was chosen with thought, reviewed again and again, and carefully considered before being brought in.

I want to sincerely thank every company and every person I worked with during this time. They believed in what I was building, shared the excitement of it, and made the journey lighter and more meaningful.

 

What This Place Is

This is not a typical e-commerce platform.

Here, stories matter more than specifications. Instead of dimensions and technical details, you will find where an object comes from, who made it, and why it was chosen.

I take great pleasure not only in discovering things, but in writing about them — in trying to explain why something resonated, what it carries, why it belongs. I hope the people who find their way here find joy in that too.

My research, my curiosity, and my learning will not stop. Every beautiful thing I find, I will continue to share.

If you would like to be among the first to know, you are warmly invited to join our Inner Circle — you will find the link quietly waiting in the footer.

Until next time, — Selda Gülay Kaplan