December 23, 2025 | DESIGN & INTERIORS
HIFILIFE: SOUND as SPACE
words YUZU Editorial
photos İbrahim Özbunar
Located within Akasya Shopping Mall in Istanbul, HIFILIFE reads less as a retail store and more as a carefully composed environment—one where sound is treated as a spatial condition rather than a product on display. Designed by I-AM under the creative direction of Emre Kuzlu, the project reframes high-fidelity audio as something to be lived with, not demonstrated.
Bringing together brands such as Bang & Olufsen, Sennheiser, KEF and Klipsch, the space deliberately avoids conventional showroom logic. Instead, it unfolds at an unhurried pace, encouraging visitors to pause, listen and explore sound on their own terms.
At its centre, the Hi-Fi Bar acts as a social anchor—a place for conversation, listening and exchange. From here, the store opens into a sequence of zones where sound is expressed through material and light. Aluminium panels lend precision and balance; oak veneers introduce warmth. Perforated metal ceilings and acoustic surfaces support clarity, while ceramic finishes and concrete textures bring the experience back to a human scale.
More intimate listening rooms, defined by timber slats and felt panels, offer focused acoustic environments. These spaces function as quiet cocoons, allowing sound to be experienced without distraction.
Rather than foregrounding technology, HIFILIFE holds craft, material and human interaction in careful balance. Positioned within Istanbul’s design and sound landscape, it is a calm, considered destination—one that invites attentive listening and a slower way of engaging with space.
