LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
Drawn to Montreal from Istanbul by her son’s education and work, retired teacher Canan Çili was enamoured with the city and her condo
Education is what brought Canan Çili’s son to Montreal, but she was the one who was charmed enough by the city to buy a condo in Griffintown.
A decade ago, Istanbul-based Çili knew practically nothing about Montreal.
Things changed when the petite lady with a bubbly personality and her husband — a retired civil engineer who works as a consultant — were checking things out here for their son.
He had decided to come here to pursue his education. And then Çili “fell in love” with the city.
In 2009, when their son graduated as an electrical engineer and was offered a job here, she decided to buy a pied à terre to maintain the Montreal connection. By that time, Çili, an English teacher, was retired and had plenty of time on her hands.
She found the kind of apartment she was looking for — an almost-new 10th-floor condo in Griffintown with two bedrooms (plus a glass-encased balcony), an open living/dining area and a galley kitchen, which is small but has good storage space.
Her son has since moved to Oakville, Ont., married and had a baby son, but she still lives in the apartment on and off throughout the year and travels back and forth to Istanbul.
Q How did you end up in Griffintown? A A friend told me that it was an up-and-coming area. I found the apartment just by walking around and seeing a sign outside the building. I made the decision to buy it very quickly. I loved it right away because, being on the 10th floor, it gets lots of light. Having a balcony is nice, too. In the summer, I put out lots of flowers.
Q Does your husband like the condo as well? A (Laughs.) Actually, he prefers to live in Istanbul! We’ve been together a long time and we know how to compromise. Some people might think of it as odd, but we’ve come up with the perfect arrangement for both of us. I go back to Istanbul a couple of times a year and he comes here a couple of times a year. So far, it has worked very well. Q What is it that appeals to you about Montreal? A I feel at home here. In some ways, Montreal is similar to Istanbul. That city is much, much older of course, but you have the same mixture of cultures, interesting architecture, fine dining . ...
Q Given that you have a home in Istanbul, did you bring your furniture from Turkey? I see you have really colourful kilims. A Virtually everything came from Structube except the bookshelves. I got that unit from Ikea. That’s the only thing from there.
Q And the kilims? A They came from Cappadocia. That’s a region of Turkey known for its crafts. Depending on how they’re woven and the motifs and the colours, the rugs tell a story. If they’re woven in bright colours, for example, they depict happiness. If they’re in sombre colours, then they depict sadness. The rugs are part of local culture and they’re a way of maintaining a tradition. I have other rugs in Istanbul, handed down through my family, through my grandmother. The older rugs are more valuable and of better quality.
Q So did you ship these new ones over here for the condo? A I stuffed them into my suitcases!
Q That’s a stunning bedspread in your bedroom. Is that also from Cappadocia? A It is. It’s cotton and this type of red and green embroidery is typical of the region. (Çili guides me through a walk-in closet that leads into a bathroom with a separate, glassed-in shower — an unusual configuration for an ensuite bathroom.)
Q I take it this is your own bedroom? A Yes. The one off the other side of the living room is for guests.
Q And speaking of the living room, is your 1950s-style grey wingback chair one of your Structube purchases? A It is. I’d admired an original chair like this at the home of a friend in Istanbul who is an architect, so when I saw this at Structube, I bought it right away.
Q You have a lot of paintings. They look like originals? A I did them!
Q You’re a talented lady. A (Laughs.) One of the things I love about Montreal are all the workshops and classes that are available to seniors. After I retired, I studied art. I copied some paintings by famous people just to practise, but I’ve also taken master classes at the Visual Arts Centre in Westmount. It’s a great place. I like to keep my mind active and, as a former teacher, I love to learn new things.