From: Tel Aviv
One of our hands-down favorite crews bombing the walls of Tel Aviv is the Haifa-based Broken Fingaz Crew. The 10-year-strong foursome (Tant, Unga, Dezo, and Kip) have a hypnotizing and intricate style which recalls 1960’s psychedelic posters, old school American comics, and B-rated horror flick poster typography…
A little bit Steampunk, a tad industrial loft makeover, these upcycled KOZO lamps are being produced by a 7-member collective called DEMO Design Clinic working out of Florentin (Tel Aviv’s Williamsburg doppelgänger)…
The work of Raw-Edges is not for crowd-followers or wallflowers. Indeed, the pieces are ballsy, sometimes rough, often bright and clashy. It’s the sort of furniture that a more timid houseguest would veer away from – never daring to plop down on the “Volume” couch, for example.
A house isn’t a home without a cozy nook for reading–preferably illuminated by something striking, simple, and versatile like this 001 model by Naama Hofman. Made of a cleverly angled iron rod and acrylic tube filled with 120 LED lights, this has got to be one of the niftiest reading aids I’ve come across in a while. The design is such that you can place it any which way on a table top, or hang it from the ceiling or wall…
Our baby niece Lir is pretty much the apple of YZ’s and my eye, making it hard to resist buying her every little cute thing that we come across. But, when we stumbled upon a beautiful striped bunny by Tel Aviv label Timo in a boutique in Jaffa, we just had to add the critter to Lir’s collection of toys. Totally in line with Lir’s parent’s philosophy of hugging (not mugging) the earth, each toy is…
Holy gods of fashion! Everything, just everything, is spot-on with this Alon Livne campaign I found on Mitchatnim.co.il. The collection (for bridesmaids perhaps?!) is worn by a waify, pixie-esque model in creepy bug-like poses sporting headpieces fit for any good Cleopatra impersonator. The soft, Victorian color palette brilliantly contrasts the dark, lurking feeling of the clothes, of which I would wear every darned piece…
There are few things more rewarding than antique shopping and Tel Aviv’s Jaffa neighborhood (one of the oldest port cities in the world) is brimming with boutiques where you can spend days clambering through mountains of tchotckes and treasures. For such a rigorous underdaking one needs proper breakfast, and there’s no better place for a mid-morning boost than Jaffa foodie stronghold, Dr. Shakshouka…
Ever wonder what the Hoopoe (national bird of Israel) looks like in the creatively bursting brain of Tel Aviv-based illustrator/art director Gal Shkedi? Well, thanks to this uber-approachable ad campaign by BBDO Israel for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, you now know: scruffy and chamood (cute) but a wee bit depressed-looking too — the standard chasm that exists in so many of Shkedi’s riotous characters…
VIGO: Ever wonder what a ray of light looks like? What for the embodiment of good and honisty takes? Only the third floor ceiling separates Vigo from heaven. He is the son every mother would wish for her daughter. Vigo frees whales, swims with wolves, and teaches jellyfish not to sting…
More quirky flights of fancy out of Israel by way of Reddish Design Studio – a hop and a skip south of Tel Aviv in the city of Sitriya. Naama Steinbock and Idan Friedman certainly aren’t afraid of breaking the norm with their work, which is inspired by everything from Yakuza tattoos to embroidery…
OTOTO, founded by Israeli design duo Ori Saidi and Daniel Gassner in 2002, focuses on simple & bright objects that expertly blend the utilitarian with the totally cute. Curvy snails creep out of their shells to reveal measuring tapes and what looks to be a teetering tower of porcelain teacups is in fact a quirky single flower vase. Treat yourself to one of these doo-dads at their site or visit the store in Tel Aviv…
With a planet that is drowning in trash and choked by pollution, any company that makes the effort to be greener gets the “We Are Good People” badge in my book. When that company manages to highlight the “eco” side of their products in a way that sparks the imagination and demonstrates how far one can go with ecologically-forward thinking, well, that warrants a big freaking gold star.
