Today I’m inviting you to my apartment. After spraining my ankle last Friday and spending most of the week either on my couch or my bed with my right foot elevated, I decided that you should come and visit my place instead of me wandering around looking for places to photograph. I live in a 2 room apartment on the border of Tel Aviv – Givatayim, but it’s Tel Aviv. Some may argue that it’s Givatayim, but I know it’s Tel Aviv because I pay city tax to the TLV municipality.
I photographed the good parts 🙂 . That’s what’s good about writing about my apartment, I can leave out the messy bits, unless they’re cool of course like my creatively messy desk you will see later on.
Here’s the first thing you see when you walk in – La Cucina
I realized that for one little person, I have a lot of stuff. I wish I could be more zen, but I can’t be because I love stuff, so I have zen areas. Like this one:
And this one (Even a Zen girl’s gotta have her shoes):
This is the living room and the couch where I spent most of the last week with my foot elevated on one of those pillows. It’s an ” L” shape, which I don’t recommend unless you have another couch which has arm rests on both ends. The person that ends up on the side without arm rests will not be so comfortable (I speak from experience).
And the view from the couch (sorry about the light):
There’s a weird niche next to the couch which I slotted a book case into to store some of the stuff that I just can’t bring myself to throw out, but never use (everyone has stuff like that, I can just tell you’re nodding). Oh, and there are some unfinished paintings and other started-and-never-finished projects which I keep there so that they’ll bug me because I can see them every day with hope that I’ll finish them soon, but procrastination gets the better of me.
This is my visible bookshelf (as opposed to the hidden one in the niche) with all my knick knacks.
A close up of this picture of my granny emerging from the sea in Tel Aviv which I love so much because it’s so nostalgic:
I have a notebook fetish. Here are only some of them on my coffee table, which incidentally I picked up off the street and turned into shabby chic by painting white and sanding the edges (it was a kids’ table in its previous incarnation). The notebooks are from all over the world, India, Baharain, South Africa, Prague, NY…. (if ever you need a gift for me…)
My beautiful palm, a drawing of my granny’s and my sewing kit:
This is my bedroom (not everyone goes in here, count yourselves lucky 😉 ). I did the painting on the wall and the rows of smaller pics are postcards of Hiroshige’s paintings (some more Japanese influence) which I framed in cheap Ikea frames. Another zen corner.
Lampshade made of paper which I love, in the bedroom:
And the dresser (Ikea, yes) and I also have a box fetish.
Here’s the creative mess I was telling you about. I love my desk. I’ve had it since I was a student, 11 years now! OMG I’m getting old.
Here’s the most exciting part of my bathroom, I found this dusty pink cabinet in the street as is! I just cleaned it out and voila! (excuse the greenish bathroom light):
Hope you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for dropping by. Come again soon.
P.S. I want to appologize for the quality of the photos. I think my camera is coming down with a focusing virus, I hear there’s one going around. I’ll have to take it to the doctor. Hope you enjoyed the visit anyway.
You’ve got great taste! I also crave to have a minimalist space, but personality keeps getting in the way. That and a slob of a husband and 2 messy kids. Shelly, I LOVE your bathroom cabinet. I want a whole sink unit just like it. And I really like your sewing kit bag, gorgeous potted palm, paper light-shade and the fab pic of your granny.
I hope your ankle is all better now.
Suzie Russell
Hi Suzie, my ankle is getting better bit by bit.
Thanks for the compliments 🙂 It is difficult when personality gets in the way of Zen aspirations, that’s why we have to claim Zen corners in the house.
we want more!!
Great apartment, and love your blog!
Great appartment. I love the cut out lampshade. I’ve wanted one for a while but I’m scared it will burn.
I like the idea of the Zen area. I always like to have soemwhere nice and neat to look at to calm down.
Hi Mia,
Thanks for the compliments. The cut out lampshade doesn’t burn, I’ve had it for over a year now. It’s made of special paper, I think its coated with wax.