Deckle&PinCollage Atelier · İstanbul
A dense wall of pinned archival photographs, letters and tickets in the Deckle & Pin atelier
Commissioned since 2016

We glue your memories into one frame

Bring your photos, letters and keepsakes — we compose one archival collage built to outlive the shoebox.

Start a commission See the wall
Handmade Every piece unrepeatable You keep the originals Archive quality
The atelier

A small studio that reads other people's shoeboxes for a living

Deckle & Pin began in 2016 on a fourth-floor flat in Cihangir, when Defne Aydın started cutting up her grandmother's ferry tickets and pinning them beside the photographs they belonged to. Clients now send us boxes: birthday cards, boarding passes, a child's first drawing, a pressed flower flattened in a passport.

We compose all of it into a single archival piece — layered, sealed under glass, tagged like a museum entry. — kept, not stored.

  • 217 commissions delivered to families across İstanbul and abroad
  • Working from real prints, letters and keepsakes — never stock imagery
  • Every original returned to you, catalogued and unharmed
Defne Aydın, founder of Deckle & Pin, arranging photographs on the atelier wall
Defne, at the wall
Scanned handwritten letters and old tickets laid out before composition
A client's box, opened
Index cards · commissions

What we can build from your box

Three ways people commission us. Each is composed by hand, sealed under glass, and tagged with a registry number you can quote back to us for years.

Card 01

The Single Frame

One A3 composition drawn from a focused set — a graduation, a first apartment, a person you miss. Dense, intimate, hung anywhere.

  • A3 archival paper under glass
  • Up to 12 photos & scraps placed
  • Brass registry tag included
from 4,860 TL
Card 02

The Story Wall

A larger A2 collage that tells a whole chapter — a marriage, a decade of travel, a family line — with room for letters, tickets and pressed keepsakes.

  • A2 archival paper under glass
  • Up to 26 items, layered composition
  • Hand-inked caption strip
from 8,420 TL
Card 03

The Heirloom Panel

A deep museum-box panel for the pieces that must last generations. Three-dimensional objects, wax-sealed provenance card, ready to pass down.

  • Framed box panel, glass front
  • Objects & documents mounted in relief
  • Wax-sealed provenance note
from 13,980 TL
Filmstrip · how it works

From your shoebox to the wall, in five steps

No surprises. You keep every original, you approve the layout before we seal it, and your registry tag stays on file if you ever want a second copy.

ScanDocuments and photographs being scanned at high resolution on the studio bed
ComposeHands arranging cut prints and tickets into a trial layout
SealA finished collage being sealed under glass and tagged
Day 1 · the conversation

You send the box

Drop by the atelier or post your originals. We talk about the story, the room it will hang in, and what absolutely must be in the frame.

Days 2–4 · the archive

We scan everything

Each item is scanned at archival resolution so your fragile originals never take the risk of glue or blade. Your box is catalogued as it arrives.

Week 2 · the layout

You approve the composition

We send you a photograph of the trial arrangement on the wall. Nothing is cut or sealed until you say yes to where every piece sits.

Weeks 3–5 · the build

We compose & seal it

The final piece is mounted, layered and sealed under glass, then given its brass registry tag and, for heirloom panels, a wax-sealed provenance card.

Week 5–6 · the return

Piece & originals come home

You collect the finished collage and every original, catalogued and unharmed. Your registry number stays on file for future copies or additions.

The bench · commission estimator

Price your piece before you post the box

Pick a size, tell us roughly how many photos and scraps you want in the frame, and see a live estimate with a realistic timeline. It's a guide — the final quote is confirmed once we've seen your box.

Compose a quote

— tap, adjust, watch it total.
Size & format
Photos & scraps in the frame
12 included · +165 TL each after
Framing
Queue
Estimated commission
—
Estimated timeline: 4–6 weeks
    Send this box in Sample price · 2026 · confirmed after we see your box
    Ledger · 2026 rates

    Three packages, plainly priced

    Prices are sample rates for 2026 and cover composition, sealing and your brass registry tag. Anything extra is listed under "not included" so there are no surprises on the bench.

    Package · Single Frame
    4,860 TL
    A3 · sample price 2026

    Included

    • A3 archival paper under glass
    • Up to 12 photos & scraps placed
    • Archival scanning of your originals
    • Brass registry tag

    Not included

    • Wall frame (add from 1,240 TL)
    • Return shipping outside İstanbul
    Delivery · trial layout in ~2 weeks, sealed piece 4–6 weeks
    Package · Story Wall
    8,420 TL
    A2 · sample price 2026

    Included

    • A2 archival paper under glass
    • Up to 26 items, layered composition
    • Hand-inked caption strip
    • Archival scanning & brass tag

    Not included

    • Museum box mounting
    • Third-party items we must source
    Delivery · trial layout in ~2 weeks, sealed piece 5–7 weeks
    Package · Heirloom Panel
    13,980 TL
    Box panel · sample price 2026

    Included

    • Framed museum box, glass front
    • 3-D objects & documents mounted in relief
    • Wax-sealed provenance card
    • Archival scanning & brass tag

    Not included

    • Conservation of severely damaged originals
    • Crated freight for overseas delivery
    Delivery · trial layout in ~3 weeks, sealed piece 6–9 weeks

    Changing your mind & cancellations

    Because every commission is one-off and built by hand, our cancellation terms depend on where your piece is on the bench:

    When you cancelWhat applies
    Before scanning beginsFull refund, originals returned
    After layout approval, before sealing50% of the package retained
    After the piece is sealedDeposit is non-refundable, piece is delivered
    Illness or force majeureTimeline paused, no penalty — we reschedule the build

    Capacity note — we accept 6–8 commissions a month. The bench currently runs a 3–4 week waiting list.

    Note scraps · in their words

    What clients pinned back to us

    ★★★★★
    "We handed over a biscuit tin of my mother's letters with no idea how they'd fit together. The A2 wall Deckle & Pin composed is the first thing everyone stops at. The wait felt long at four weeks, but honestly it was worth every day."
    Zeynep & Mert
    Story Wall · Kadıköy · May 2025
    ★★★★★
    "They scanned my grandfather's ferry tickets and his old wristwatch went into the box exactly where I hoped. Getting the originals back catalogued in a little folder meant more than I expected. Parking near the atelier is tight, mind you."
    Bora Tekin
    Heirloom Panel · Beşiktaş · November 2025
    ★★★★☆
    "I commissioned Ela's first-year collage as a gift and Defne sent a photo of the trial layout before sealing, so I could move one photo up top. That small step is why it feels right on the wall. Framing cost a little more than I'd planned."
    Selin Arıkan
    Single Frame · Cihangir · March 2026
    Folded flaps · questions

    Before you post the box

    Will my original photos and letters survive the process?

    Yes. We never glue or cut your originals. Everything is scanned at archival resolution, and the collage is built from prints and reproductions. Your originals come home catalogued in a folder, exactly as they arrived.

    How long does a commission take?

    A single A3 frame is usually 4–6 weeks; an A2 story wall 5–7 weeks; a heirloom box panel 6–9 weeks. There is also a 3–4 week waiting list before your piece reaches the bench. Priority slots shorten the build by about two weeks.

    What can I actually put in a piece?

    Photographs, letters, postcards, tickets, invitations, children's drawings, pressed flowers, small flat objects. For three-dimensional keepsakes — a watch, a ring, a key — we recommend the heirloom box panel, which mounts them in relief under glass.

    Do you retouch or restore damaged photos?

    Light cleanup — dust, minor tears, faded contrast — is included. Serious restoration of badly damaged prints is quoted separately after we scan them, so you only pay for the work your pieces actually need.

    Can I get a second copy later?

    Yes. Every piece carries a brass registry number that stays on file. Quote it to us and we can produce a second archival print of the same composition, or add new items to a fresh version.

    How and when do I pay?

    A deposit secures your slot on the bench; the balance is due when you approve the sealed piece for collection. This is a commissioned service, not a shop — we don't take card payments online or ship stock items.

    Do you ship outside İstanbul?

    We do. Sealed pieces travel in custom archival packaging and box panels are crated for freight. Return shipping is quoted by destination and added on top of the package price.

    Atelier notes · recently added
    03 Sep 2026 Autumn bench opened. Six commission slots for October–November are now on the list; message us to hold a place.
    14 Jul 2026 New museum-box supplier. Heirloom panels now available in a deeper 60 mm profile for bulkier keepsakes.
    28 May 2026 Studio scanner upgraded. Faded and yellowed prints now recover far more shadow detail before composition.
    Envelope · start here

    Bring us your shoebox

    Tell us the story you want on the wall. We'll reply within two working days with a timeline and the next open slot on the bench.

    Start a commission Price it first