From Place To Space: Elemento In Jaffa, Israel

Here's a typical Monday situation: I am posting about a cool discovery during my last trip to Israel and in the meantime I am right now in Portugal! But I will share more Portugal impressions with you over the next weeks, so let's go back to Israel for a short moment, shall we? Luckily enough I have wonderful local friends in Israel who know the best places, so that's how I ended up in a fantastic interior design shop in the old town of Jaffa: Elemento.

Finding such a cool, contemporary interior design store in the old town of Jaffa is a real visual refreshment. The old town carries its own flavor with ancient stone buildings, a colorful flea market, vintage objects and kilim rugs everywhere. And then you enter one of those old stone buildings and you find yourself amidst contemporary, cool and very urban design with a light Middle Eastern note. 

Walking through the shop was like experiencing a fantastic eclectic concoction of Scandinavian, British and Israeli design, all mixed together to visually appealing and pleasing settings. If you add the fact that the staff is super friendly, you know that it's well worth visiting Elemento if you ever find yourself in that corner of the world.

I hope you enjoyed today's little getaway to Tel Aviv-Jaffa. If you need more travel inspiration, come to Instagram where I am sharing right now my moments from Portugal. See you there!

Elemento, 15 Hazorfim Street, Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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From Place To Space: Tel Aviv's Carmel Market

Lately I am stunned by the number of friends who have been to Israel over the past few weeks and months. I myself visited the beautiful country last month and showed you a few highlights from Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Jerusalem. I don't know if there is a major ad campaign from the Israeli tourism board or something else, but the popularity of Israel as a holiday destination seems to be booming. But I know one thing for sure: Nobody of my friends was disappointed. Neither was I - I enjoyed the country very much. So for today I thought I'll take you back to Tel Aviv and to its vibrant and lively heart - the Carmel Market.

Wherever I travel I love to visit the local market at least once. Originating from a country where people still buy their daily groceries at the farmers' market, I am drawn to the colorful, vibrant and bustling markets in the cities around the world. Tel Aviv's Carmel Market is in the city center and a typical example of a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern market. It has awning covered alleys to protect the sellers and shoppers from the burning sun as well as to keep the fresh produce in the shade. The offer of fresh fruits, vegetables, pastries, cheeses is abundant - and so are the various food stalls for a quick snack on-the-go.

I don't know why, but probably because I am used to similar markets in Serbia and Greece, I feel very comfortable among the buzzing crowds with yelling salespeople, with the touching and tasting, with all the scents and sounds that go with such an experience. Those markets are not meant to be picturesque tourist motives yet they are wonderful to be captured with a camera as they are utterly authentic and have that unique smack of local real life.

The Carmel Market is open every day except Saturdays and on Tuesdays and Fridays it has a special attraction - local artists sell their unique crafts, art and jewelry on the bordering Nahalat Binyamin Street. So whether you prefer fresh veggies, juicy fruits or local handicraft - the Carmel Market is not to be missed. But what you will get completely for free is a plentitude of inspiration, local lifestyle and the peculiar taste of Tel Aviv at a glance. Happy new week my friends!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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From Place To Space: Design Hunting in Jaffa

After last week's first introduction of the hotspot Tel Aviv in Israel, today I want to take you just a few kilometers south of the coastal city of Tel Aviv - to the old town of Jaffa. During my Israel trip I was happy enough to catch up with all my Israeli friends and one of them, my dear friend and fellow design blogger Chedva took me on a design hunting trip to Jaffa.

Our first stop was the famous flea market in Jaffa which is actually a mix of classic flea market and shops with vintage furniture, textiles and home accessories. No need to mention that I was particularly drawn to the plethora of kilim rugs in Jaffa - the mixture of patterns, colours and designs was astonishing. I felt the inner need to buy at least three of them, but fortunately I had my smart and resonated second half with me who reminded me of 32 square meters at home and five rugs that I already own. So I sticked to photo snapping. 

Chedva is an expert and a real local so she guided me pretty successfully through the winding alleys of Jaffa despite her self-proclaimed lack of orientation. We visited some nice shops like Uma, Asufa, the fragrance store Zielinski & Rozen, a shop of several local ceramicists and the famous Hangar 1 building in the port of Jaffa with cool shops, restaurants and cafés. We have also visited another very special interiors store, but I will blog about that one separately! After all the design hunting it was time for a little break - and thanks to Chedva we were able to enjoy a real tea time at the exclusive and private ladies club 'Nine Rooms' - and yes, I was allowed to enter even though I am not a lady but I have lady-like manners for that matter:-)

We also got lost in the winding alleys of old Jaffa - it truly feels like a trip back in time. And all the streets in that part of the town have creative names: They are named after the various signs of the Zodiac. We couldn't skip the landmark art piece 'Floating Orange Tree' by the Israeli artist Ran Morin. And just next to it a brand new design hotel is about to open: the new W Hotel in Jaffa.

When you descend all the narrow streets of Jaffa you will inevitably arrive at the seafront and the towns old port - the most magnificent views of the old town and of Tel Aviv can be enjoyed here while sipping on your iced coffee or freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Sheer bliss!

Another indispensable stop in Jaffa is a food place called 'Abu Hassan'. It is supposed to be the place with the best hummus in all Israel (if not the world) and it is a loud, crazy place that feels a bit more like Cairo or Marrakech than Jaffa. But the hummus is to die for - it will set your hummus bar to unreachable heights for the future! If you want more food recommendations in Tel Aviv/Jaffa and Jerusalem, make sure to check out my friend Lindsey's blog post.

So, I feel like there's a big batch of inspiration for a Monday, don't you agree? I guess it's time to let you go and wish you a very happy and successful start into the new week! Stay tuned for more Israel travel tips over the coming weeks!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Israeli Design: Visiting Studio Cheha

This Monday I kicked off my blog posts about my recent Israel trip and today I want to share a very special design discovery I made in Tel Aviv. Thanks to my design savvy friend and fellow blogger Chedva I had the opportunity to meet a super cool young Israeli design couple, Nir and Aya from Studio Cheha.

This young couple lives in downtown Tel Aviv and their studio is actually part of their apartment. At first, it was a bit intimidating to enter someone's home and privacy without knowing the people, but Nir and Aya are such an easy-going and friendly couple, they made me feel at ease and welcomed me like a friend. The open door to the studio caught my immediate attention and I asked Nir to show me around and tell me a little bit more about his latest design called 'Bulbing'.

'Bulbing' is a magical lamp design that combines simplicity, technology and a whimsical 3D-effect. A warm LED light is set in a simple and solid wooden base and exchangeable acrylic shapes with 3D-effects can be 'plugged in' - the light is warm, soft and soothing and creates a cosy atmosphere. As simple as the idea seems, Nir has put a lot of work and thought into this lamp design. His early works include those large scale faces made on wooden panels with nails and thread (you can see them on the pics of the studio) - a work of hours and hours. He initially designed the shapes on his computer and projected the image on wooden panels and recreated the design with nails connecting them with thread thus creating a 3D-effect on a two-dimensional surface.

The entire apartment of Nir and Aya was filled with his creative works inducing various wall decor items. Their home reflects their creativity and dedication - I loved how comfy it was and how relaxed the atmosphere was. Moreover, Aya prepared some delicious Israeli sweet treats for us - little tahini-chocolate bites that were so delicious that I had to get the recipe from her!

Even though the 'Bulbing' project is pretty new, they have already gained international attention and lots of support - currently the project is being crowd-founded on Kickstarter (and I am a proud backer of them) and if you want to support this creative couple join in and secure yourself one of those cool lamps!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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