Studio Pa’am
Pa’am in Hebrew means something like “long ago” or “once upon a time”. Studio Pa’am (site is in Hebrew only, unfortunately) is located in Jerusalem and creates wooden furniture and metal decorative objects in a way that looks like you just found it in a barn and yet it’s still in great condition.
The studio is run by a couple whose style is consistent, and while I wouldn’t decorate an entire house with their work, I would love several pieces from their collection.
Like this blue rocking chair. I love the color and the simplicity of the 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
Vintage Heaven
I wish I could say I discovered this site all on my own, but the truth is, a friend (who I didn’t think was even remotely interested in interior design) turned me on to it a couple of months ago. This Is Not Ikea opened lat year to provide “a place where cool, unique and vintage furniture is available to people at an IKEA price.”
Mission totally accomplished.
Divided into tons of categories, including colors, styles, rooms and more, TINI is the ultimate treasure hunt, a place where you can (and I have) spend hours browsing everything from mirrors and tables to lamps and chairs. I love that the products are so well-organized that I can easily pick out something specific to look at, like a random selection of ashtrays my parents weren’t cool enough to have back in the day.

Store Review: Hasadna – Is it really Junk?
I got so inspired by these incredible designs made by the creative people of Hasadna. Hasadna, meaning “the workshop” in Hebrew is a fantastic shop you will find in the flea market in Jaffa. They take junk and make it into designer furniture and decor. Simple things that most of us throw out like plastic bags, yellow pages, old maps and even ice-cream spoons. These are the people who help keep that kind stuff out of landfills by transforming into treasure and I am filled with inspiration and awe at their creations.
Did you ever think that you can make a chandelier out of plastic spoons? Well, the crafty people of Hasadna did and they even made some:
Inspiration for Homeless Drawers
On one of my afternoon walks, I found 3 wooden drawers that must have been part of a dining room cabinet. There are these really great labels on the front, in German.
I went to a German-English online dictionary to translate the labels for those who are curious:
Fischbestecke means Fish cutlery
Diverses means Miscellaneous
Theelöffel, Tischgabeln & Tischloffel mean Teaspoons, Forks & Tablespoons.
It saves time when you know what’s in the drawers, I guess.
The Thrill of the Find (Or, “About That Sofa Last Week…”)
Hey, remember last week when I wouldn’t shut up about the most perfect gray sofa ever (on my budget)? Well, it is totally the most perfect gray sofa ever (on my budget), but after a shopping trip this weekend, I got the most perfect black leather sofa ever (on my budget). Herewith, the long version…
Saturday afternoon—following the measuring-for-new-kitchen-flooring debacle (I’m looking at you Home Depot)—my husband Matt and I headed to Cost Plus, an enormous furniture warehouse that has awesome deals and no air conditioning. We got our last couch there, and it was fine. It still is; it was perfectly fine when Civitan Services hauled it away to the donation shop this morning. But every piece of furniture in our living room is just brown, so replacing that anchor piece was the first big step. It also became a glorified dog bed. Seriously, I get up every morning to Bailey on one end, Ceili on the other, and they both have their heads on a couch pillow:
Office tour: 4 Architects in Jaffa
Since you may well have noticed, Jaffa is one of my favorite places for architectural/designer findings.
At 19 Ben Dosa street you will find 4 architects sharing a really great workspace. Dan Troim (whose apartment I posted about a few weeks ago), Yaal Zuaretz, Yoav Molho and Shelly Guggenheim share this wonderful work space. There are many great things about this space and one of them is that they moved in and didn’t redo everything. They used a lot of the existing walls, floors, gallery and even the ceiling and added some of their own elements to it.
Great thing #2 about this space is the high ceiling, and the ceiling itself. It’s made of OSB which creates this warm, cosy wooden cabin feeling despite the height. I love the row of naked light bulbs.
Man of the House
From the runway to the entryway, classic menswear continues to influence everything from women’s clothing (like Alexander McQueen’s luxe houndstooth creation above) to the way we dress our homes. I began noticing this not only from my over-consumption of fashion and interior design mags, but also when I embarked upon my search for the most perfect gray sofa ever (on my budget). Then I got obsessed.
And luckily, unlike say, the return of neon, these looks are timeless, not trendy.
First things first. The most perfect gray sofa ever (on my budget). West Elm’s Goodwin collection includes the sofa in two lengths, a sleeper sofa, chair and ottoman. It’s also available in chocolate brown or something, but whatever, because this was the charcoal sofa of my dreams. Can’t wait to check it out (at the cash register) at the Dallas store in October.
You just cannot go wrong with a pair of x-base stools. Everyone makes a version and they fit with almost any decor. This Italian leather and chrome pair from Williams-Sonoma Home hits the perfect balance of modern and dapper.
My Bedside Chair
This certainly would have been great when I lived in New York! You see, my furniture comprised of hand-me-downs, make-shift tables and “finds” off the street. (On the streets of New York City, one man’s trash really is another man’s treasure) And, my nightstand at one point really was a chair. Though it was one of those old metal folding chairs. So, this would have been perfect.
Store Review: Villa Maroc in Yehuda Halevi Street
For all you people who love Moroccan design, hurry over – there’s a summer sale at Villa Maroc on Yehuda Halevi Street in Tel Aviv! (Warning: not for those who fear bright colors).