Graffiti-clad Tchochkes and the Vinyl Explosion
We have a new weekly writer! Daniel Klein is a graphic artist whose apartment has been featured in Tchochkes. His design style is really fun. Originally from the US, Dani was an Art Director who has recently gone freelance. His artwork is amazing, BTW. Give him a warm welcome and leave a comment! (A nice one, preferably.) Dani will be posting every Monday. ~ Shira
Dear readers, I am thrilled to kick-off my weekly post on the wonderful world of Tchochkes! You may or may not have picked up on it, but there is a fun art and design trend that has been gaining momentum over the past decade. I’m talking about the vinyl-toy movement—an amalgamation of graffiti artists, designers and limited-edition plastic toys.
The phenomenon originated in China and exploded in Japan, drawing inspiration from pop culture and anime. In the USA, a company called Kidrobot has been at the forefront of popularizing the vinyl-toy culture since 2002, and it is wildly successful. The company collaborates with contemporary street artists to produce collectibles, which are sold for as little as $6. Many of the fabulous tchochkes are actually quite valuable, some having been sold for thousands of dollars. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) acquired 13 Kidrobot toys in late 2007 for its own permanent collection.
I’ll admit that this may not be an aesthetic that everyone can appreciate, but my own small collection really infuses some personality into the room. Most of the toys are suitable for children, however, many come in raunchy adult themes such as the “Smorkin’ Labbit” series by Frank Kozik featuring bunnies in bondage gear smoking cigarettes.
Home Tour (I think): Yaakov Sasson’s rooftop gallery
Yaakov Sasson is best described as an eccentric. I talked with him a bit, but I couldn’t quite tell whether he lived here or if this was his work space or gallery. According to Houses From Within “The roof top on Alfasi is not a house but really an institution.” Which doesn’t really answer my question either. I think you’ll see what I’m saying though when you check out his place.
Above is the hallway to get up to the rooftop. There are so many brilliant elements here. Some of my favorites were:
Shira Abel is the CEO and founder of Hunter & Bard, an award-winning public relations and design agency that works with scale-ups and enterprises on building their brand, awareness and thought leadership.
As CEO of Hunter & Bard, Shira oversees a team that manages public relations, marketing, design, and brand development for clients across multiple industries. She develops strategies for organically growing companies through sincere digital engagement and the application of behavioral marketing.
Clients include JELD-WEN, Benchling, Sixth Continent, Totango, Folloze, Radix DLT, Axa Tech, Allianz, and many more. Shira is also a sought after corporate speaker and marketing mentor, and has spoken at events such as Confluence and Content Marketing World, and taught at institutions such as Kellogg School of Management and S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai.
Read more about Shira’s company Hunter & Bard at https://www.hunterandbard.com
Table clocks by Itay Noy
Itay Noy designs watches and clocks – as we don’t do fashion accessories here on Tchochkes I’m going to tell you about his clocks. Table clocks to be specific. High end rather exclusive table clocks to be exact. Gorgeous, gold, kind of bling bling table clocks.
The Double Time clock (above) is my favorite of his collection (it’s also the most expensive – why is it always like that?) and costs $4,600 USD.
Itay studied at Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem, Israel and has his Masters Degree (M.Des) from the Design Academy in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Currently he teaches watch design at Bezalel.
Shira Abel is the CEO and founder of Hunter & Bard, an award-winning public relations and design agency that works with scale-ups and enterprises on building their brand, awareness and thought leadership.
As CEO of Hunter & Bard, Shira oversees a team that manages public relations, marketing, design, and brand development for clients across multiple industries. She develops strategies for organically growing companies through sincere digital engagement and the application of behavioral marketing.
Clients include JELD-WEN, Benchling, Sixth Continent, Totango, Folloze, Radix DLT, Axa Tech, Allianz, and many more. Shira is also a sought after corporate speaker and marketing mentor, and has spoken at events such as Confluence and Content Marketing World, and taught at institutions such as Kellogg School of Management and S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai.
Read more about Shira’s company Hunter & Bard at https://www.hunterandbard.com
Store review: Ha’omaniya adds furniture to their art
I’ve wrote about Ha’omaniya when they first opened in February. They’ve since expanded their selection to include more than the wonderful whimsical art pieces – they are now carrying a wonderful selection of remade furniture as well.
Their furniture is very 60’s in style. Highly glossed and mildly psychedelic in shape – but very 80’s in color, like the mauve piece above. The combination is extremely modern and kind of fabulous.
Shira Abel is the CEO and founder of Hunter & Bard, an award-winning public relations and design agency that works with scale-ups and enterprises on building their brand, awareness and thought leadership.
As CEO of Hunter & Bard, Shira oversees a team that manages public relations, marketing, design, and brand development for clients across multiple industries. She develops strategies for organically growing companies through sincere digital engagement and the application of behavioral marketing.
Clients include JELD-WEN, Benchling, Sixth Continent, Totango, Folloze, Radix DLT, Axa Tech, Allianz, and many more. Shira is also a sought after corporate speaker and marketing mentor, and has spoken at events such as Confluence and Content Marketing World, and taught at institutions such as Kellogg School of Management and S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai.
Read more about Shira’s company Hunter & Bard at https://www.hunterandbard.com
Home tour: The architect flat of Miki Ben Gan
Miki Ben Gan is an architect with a really stunning garden apartment in an incredible location of Tel Aviv. His home had a line of people a kilometer long just waiting to get in.
Miki shares his flat with his wife and baby girl. The place is approximately 75 meters total (750 sq. feet) and like most architects houses – he’s made the absolute most of the space he has. Unlike most architects homes his space is especially warm. White was not used in abundance here, even though the space was so small – and texture was a big player in design.
Shira Abel is the CEO and founder of Hunter & Bard, an award-winning public relations and design agency that works with scale-ups and enterprises on building their brand, awareness and thought leadership.
As CEO of Hunter & Bard, Shira oversees a team that manages public relations, marketing, design, and brand development for clients across multiple industries. She develops strategies for organically growing companies through sincere digital engagement and the application of behavioral marketing.
Clients include JELD-WEN, Benchling, Sixth Continent, Totango, Folloze, Radix DLT, Axa Tech, Allianz, and many more. Shira is also a sought after corporate speaker and marketing mentor, and has spoken at events such as Confluence and Content Marketing World, and taught at institutions such as Kellogg School of Management and S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai.
Read more about Shira’s company Hunter & Bard at https://www.hunterandbard.com
Ceramic Artist: Stella Lahav
Israel has many ceramicists to choose from, there must be something in the water here that puts out so many creative types. I found Stella Lahav’s work online and I think it is worth a mention.
Quirky Teapot by Stella Lahav
Glass & Light Artist – Cecilia Cohen
Shine the light!
Cecilia Cohen is a glass artist who turns cold, rigid materials into warm, expressive objects: like this Bluelove butterfly suncatcher. She is self -taught and has worn many hats during her lifetime: safety engineer, beekeeper, librarian but her real passion is glass.
Home Tour: Yuval and Orna Shaul’s apartment, part 2
We saw their wonderful living room, kitchen and bathroom on Monday’s post and today we’re checking out the bedrooms and clothing shop. They have three children, all of whom have a larger bedroom than their parents, which I thought was very nice of them. It was obvious that they want the kids to enjoy their space. Each room was special and filled with art.
Each kids room had similar elements. An amazing antique armoire, a simple bed and a desk. Oh – and of course, the art. They were all filled with art.
Shira Abel is the CEO and founder of Hunter & Bard, an award-winning public relations and design agency that works with scale-ups and enterprises on building their brand, awareness and thought leadership.
As CEO of Hunter & Bard, Shira oversees a team that manages public relations, marketing, design, and brand development for clients across multiple industries. She develops strategies for organically growing companies through sincere digital engagement and the application of behavioral marketing.
Clients include JELD-WEN, Benchling, Sixth Continent, Totango, Folloze, Radix DLT, Axa Tech, Allianz, and many more. Shira is also a sought after corporate speaker and marketing mentor, and has spoken at events such as Confluence and Content Marketing World, and taught at institutions such as Kellogg School of Management and S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai.
Read more about Shira’s company Hunter & Bard at https://www.hunterandbard.com
Home Tour: Vanity creates a nice place to live – part 1
I took a lot pictures of this house, so the second half of this post will be on Wednesday. This post includes the entry, living room, kitchen and bathroom – the bedrooms and shop will come later. This was the largest apartment I saw from Houses From Within.
Owned by Yuval Shaul, an artist, and Orna Shaul, a vintage clothing shop owner, this apartment was the least ‘designed’ house of the day (and consequently it was one of my favorites.)
There’s a lived in look to this flat. An immediate warmth. When you’re in a gorgeous designed home you’re in awe, but you may not necessarily want to live there. There’s typically a cold element, whether one likes it or not, simply because the design didn’t come from the owner. Here you feel the personality of the owners and it’s very welcoming.
The apartment is filled with art and antiques. It’s comfortable, family-friendly – a place where you feel instantly at home.
Shira Abel is the CEO and founder of Hunter & Bard, an award-winning public relations and design agency that works with scale-ups and enterprises on building their brand, awareness and thought leadership.
As CEO of Hunter & Bard, Shira oversees a team that manages public relations, marketing, design, and brand development for clients across multiple industries. She develops strategies for organically growing companies through sincere digital engagement and the application of behavioral marketing.
Clients include JELD-WEN, Benchling, Sixth Continent, Totango, Folloze, Radix DLT, Axa Tech, Allianz, and many more. Shira is also a sought after corporate speaker and marketing mentor, and has spoken at events such as Confluence and Content Marketing World, and taught at institutions such as Kellogg School of Management and S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai.
Read more about Shira’s company Hunter & Bard at https://www.hunterandbard.com