First, is Avishag who sells jewelry from the Negev (southern) region through her Shoogi shop. The combination of vintage, secondhand, handmade and overall personal touches in neckalces, broaches and earrings nearly had me buying my own gifts - and burning my credit card. Take this lucite rose and vontage glass bead necklace which won my top spot for presents this year (hint hint, dear family members who read this).

Industrial Designer Shlomit Ofir, from Tel Aviv, brings an organic and natural touch to earrings, necklaces, hair clips and more with her range of branch, leaf and flower-inspired pieces. This silver branch necklace was just the right blend of interesting, modern and aged.

Also from Tel Aviv is graphic designer-turned- jewelry maker Anakim who’s blend of natural materials from Israel with precious metals and stones is at once handcrafted and industrial, personal and universal. This lava bead and organic silver pendant necklace from popular seller struck an interesting chord with me, both modern and timeless, subtle and eye-catching.

There are plenty more Israeli jewelry designers on Etsy, some of which I hope to continue featuring during Chanukah, but I invite you to send me emails or comment below with some of your Gift for Her suggestions from Etsy. I’ll be posting about gifts for him, babies, and the home as the holiday festivities continue. I encourage you all this season to shop loca, support independent artists and buy something that’s personal for your loved ones. Happy Chanukah and enjoy the miracles of family, friends and lots of fried food - for the first night at least

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Their designs are comfortable, hip and beautiful and their work is garnering recognition and praise worldwide. ISRAEL21c focuses on seven of the country’s top industrial designers. Combining art and aesthetics with function and purpose, industrial designers can make our lives more comfortable, hip, beautiful and eco-aware.

Israel can boast its own Philippe Starck. The only democracy in the Middle East is also the birthplace of another world-famous designer - UK-based Ron Arad. After designing for famous studios in Europe, Arad opened a studio in London, where he also teaches at the Royal College of Art. And in Israel, Arad recently designed the international Design Museum Holon, soon to make its debut.

ISRAEL21c brings you seven of our favorite Israeli designers of whom you should also be aware:

Arik Levy
Based in France, you might find yourself looking at your own reflection in one of Arik Levy’s enormous and highly polished metallic ‘gem’ seats in a hidden Paris garden. “Design is an uncontrolled muscle,” says Levy, a self-described technician, artist, photographer and filmmaker. Best known for his industrial furniture design for global companies and installations, Levy works out of Paris, where he commands a 20-person team. They work on the less glitzy side of the business as well, designing packaging, signs and exhibitions.

Shay Alkalay and Yael Mer
Shay Alkalay and Yael Mer, a design duo from Israel, now live in London where they run Raw Edges Design Studio. Partners in both work and life, photographs of the two in design magazines would make you think that all they do is play all day. Tutored under Ron Arad at the Royal College of Art, the off-the-wall pair is known for its playful non-commercial products like the Evacuation Skirt (in case global warming flooding occurs and you need an inflatable canoe) and Sticky Stains for hiding those nasty mustard stains on white shirts. Featured in serious design exhibits and shops for their gravity-challenging furniture that also tests the limits of material, these two young ones clearly have a long career ahead.

Shahar Peleg
Designing commercial products in small quantities, Shahar Peleg creates trinkets for everyday life, making hanging your keys or placing your purse on the table just a little more interesting. His products are sold in design stores in Israel, Europe and the US where he is loved for his experimentation with optical illusions - a mixture of design and “magic” that compels you to take a closer look. His chain-link wine rack is a hot item.

Ayala Serfaty
Ayala Serfaty of Aqua Creations makes lamps of monumental proportions. Using large swathes of fabric, plastics and glass, she creates her signature look: Organic lamps and lampshades that seem to have been swept in from the sea. She designs furniture, too. You’ll find her work in museums in New York and Paris and hotel lobbies around the world. Serfaty sets the right mood for a nightcap.

Ototo
Ototo, the design duo Ori Saidi and Daniel Gassner, like to test the limits of everyday objects. A famous fruit bowl of theirs can be described as a place “where iron meets origami.” They have a signature piece, a doggy bank made to look like metallic balloons, and a vase made from stacked teacups. It’s perfect for tea with the Mad Hatter.

Gadi Amit
Gadi Amit of NewDealDesign crafted one of Israel’s most popular water coolers. In the big world of computers he has designed computer casings - some sustainable - for several of the biggest names in the industry. Based in California, Amit has been busy designing the charge points for Israel’s new electric car stations, so that people will be able to charge their battery cars in style. But you don’t have to buy a bamboo PC, or wait to buy an electric car to see his work. Find his designs at the Chicago Athenaeum, the Cooper Hewitt-National Design Museum and at San Francisco’s MOMA.

Efrat Gommeh
Featured on design-o-phile sites like DesignBoom, Efrat Gommeh, is more than a little playful. In response to a need to reduce packaging in the design industry, she’s developed a package for candles that transforms into candleholders. Her Lock-Cup is a favorite among office workers. Each one includes a personal key, without which the coffee cup won’t hold any liquid. This way, only you and you alone can use your coffee cup at break-time.

(Research credit for this story goes to Ziva Haller-Rubenstein of the DesignistDream.com blog) Thanks, Karin!

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It seemed like the promise of a clutter-free, airy and design-savvy home was even closer than before - even if our Billy bookcase is among the most expensive in the world (why why why). Then a chance encounter with this article at Apartment Therapy opened my eyes, or rather raised some very challenging questions about the value of ‘design for all’ - which I know is Target’s slogan but holds the same promise as IKEA: affordable, knock-off but just as inspired, accessible design items.

* [IKEA is] …by some measures the world’s third-largest wood consumer. The company declines to pay a premium to ensure that all timber is legally harvested, citing costs that would be passed along to the consumer.
* IKEA furniture is made of particleboard and pine is not meant to last a lifetime.
* [IKEA] positions outlets far from city centers, where taxes are low and commuting costs high—the average IKEA customer drives 50 miles round-trip.
* Designed but not crafted, IKEA bookcases and chairs, like most cheap objects, resist involvement: when they break or malfunction, we tend not to fix them. Rather, we buy new ones.

The full article, “Buy to Last”, by Ellen Ruppell Shell for The Atlantic, regards the need for quality and value, and their effects on consumption and hence the environment. It’s something we all probably think about daily as we assess how we live and better our homes. Where do we strike a middle ground of affordability and quality that is most sustainable?

In her book, Cheap: The High Quest for Discount Culture, Shell, explores the larger questions that, in the coming year, we may want to investigate within ourselves a bit further. What value do we place on art, trained skill, handicraft and artisanship? What are the consequences for local designers, artists and craftsmen if we rush out to the global, mass produced wharehouse and stock up on disposable items, produced in a developing country’s minimum wage-paid factory employees?

I hope the year ahead will be full of meaning in creativity and process; and significance in hand-made and personal. For me, and Designist Dream, I plan to focus this year on Israeli designers and artists who are investing and dedicating themselves to their work. Hopefully, before you head out to IKEA for that pre-fab bed frame, you’ll reconsider visiting Rishon LeZion’s Furniture Design Center where store owners are also the carpenters and craftsmen who customize everything your home needs to your specifications. It may cost more, but you’re supporting local artisans in Israel and the importance of skill and craft. Shana Tova U’Metukah, Happy New Year to all.

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Sustainable design is popping up all over Israel, and we’ve tried to cover as many of these designers as possible. Our survey of ten sustainable Israeli designers who reduce, reuse, and recycle covers tons of green, innovative, and aesthetic projects ranging from rubber tire handbags (that are surprisingly chic) to old suitcases-turned-shelving units.

So we were very happy to find out about a Sustainable Design Seminar starting at the Israeli Design Center in Holon next week, because that means that not only is the trend continuing, but it’s hitting the mainstream as well.

The five session seminar, led by Adital Ella (photographed above) and Yair Engel, both of whom are sustainable designers and experts in the field of sustainable design and industry, begins Tuesday June 9th, and is intended for designers, students, and those interested in the field of sustainability. Topics include: a history of Sustainable Design, related materials and approaches and a screening of the recent film, Addicted to Plastic (see trailer below).

More about the seminar here.
And for more on green initiatives and news from the Middle East check out Green Prophet

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A very creative, inspiring and funny friend of mine has started a new blog called Levavot which is Hebrew for hearts. It’s all about givin’ some luv, as her posts feature hearts in the oddest of places - bus stop ads, shops, streets, high schools, and more - the point is (well, there are several, bit one nice one, I think) there’s a lot of love in Israel and maybe we can all see it and share some with our fellow citizens, Jewish, Arab, Druze, Christian, whatever.

Ok, so that was a bit political, but it can also be a bit more personal. Take the time to see the romantic, sweet and touching love we all really want to share with someone, deep down. So check it out for yourselves and sign up for some added lovin’. There’s even a place to write in a charity you ‘heart’ so others will spread the word and generate support.

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Taking the outdoors in. Meeting nature with industry. Israeli born, Paris-based designer, and my personal superstar, Arik Levy, has done it again. Revamping the traditional indoors fireplace for a new, modern and abstracted collection for Planika Fires. Stripped down to the basic elements - fire, fuel and protection (albeit not exactly child-proof, but still encased in glass) - Levy’s coffee table are more natural function and industrial form.

No longer piled high logs or deeply inset caverns of fire, Levy’s new fireside chat-sites suggest what we need most is for these exterior, natural phenomena to fit in well with our industrial interiors. We need them to be beautiful (minimal, clean lines), match our decor (coated steel options in several colors), be easy to use (new liquid fuel called FANOLA® is smoke free, ash free and less harmful for the environment), and multitask (glass surround doubles as a coffee table). Ranging in price from $650 - $1350, Levy’s fireplaces are also, apparently, suitable for indoor and outdoor use but considering whether the glass table-top surround will hook onto your backpack for the hike up to the forest camp site, you’re better off leaving these fires burning indoors. All industry, with just a spark of nature.

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The Designist Dream All-December All-Holiday Gift Guide
(of items in, by or from Israel)

Because let’s face it, just because these gifts are from Israel doesn’t mean they can only be given on Hanukkah! Certainly on Christmas, even on Kwanzaa and why not on New Years - give away! And to celebrate the gift-giving spirit, I’ve found a slew of unique and (mostly) reasonably priced Israeli-made gifts for you, your loved ones, and maybe even a few on-loved but obligatory ones as the holiday seasons near. And I’ll reveal some great shopping sites for buying Israeli-made gifts in Israel and abroad.

And, as a bonus, Designist Dream will be teaming up with Modern Tribe to give away a fabulous present on Hanukkah to one luck reader! Jennie promises it’s going to be a really nice Israeli-designed item! So stay tuned for details on that early next week.

And, as if things couldn’t get any more exciting around here, on Hanukkah itself, December 22nd - 29th, I’ve decided to spend a bit time of time giving to others: I’ll be highlighting non-profit organizations here in Israel that use the arts to help people. It’s something I feel very strongly about and am excited to share with you all.

So let the good holiday times roll in December!

Above: A modern, cubic puzzle-piece style Hanukkiyah by Israeli designer Shlomi Schillinger available at Modern Tribe.

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So what to do with all this excitement until January 20th kicks in, you ask? How about take up a new hobby: knitting! With a nod to this week’s baggage theme, knitting gives you an outlet for mental anguish, physical excitement and visual pleasure - or material pleasure depending on how great your bag comes out. And Israel’s own 2KN knitting studio will show you how you can do it, yes you can. Founded by Billy Kimor and Miri Namer, strove to provide knitting fans - or bored individuals - with a hobby and habit to whittle away the hours productively. Located in the northern city of Haifa, 2KN sells materials and accessories and offers workshops, including a coffee clutch and knitting circle for women that apparently books up early, so, interetsed ladies, please register in advance.

And if you’re in the NY area, join 2KN founders at the Eldridge Road Knitting Salon in White Plains on November 20th to learn about how to knit their HoHashi clutch (featured above) while hearing about life in ISrael and knitting in Israel and munching on Israeli snacks. To learn more about this event and register in advance (and pay $65 for all related materials ), visit the Yarn Princess.

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And from the political, I’ll segue into the visual with Yanga Bags. I saw their amazing tote, shoulder and hand bags a few weeks ago while shopping in Tel Aviv. I had never heard of them before and was taken immediately by the interesting shapes they designed, layers of beautifully textured fabrics, and overall construction. The bags were both practical and sensual. Looking at their website, their pictures don’t seem to do their bags justice. But the cool thing is that you can customize your own, ideal, bag through their website (Hebrew only) or in-store on Diezengoff Street in Tel Aviv.

Everything from the shape to the straps, embellishment (satin strip or ribbon trim where applicable) and lining fabric is for your (s)election. Reasonably priced too - considering it’s exactly what you want - prices are upwards of 200 NIS - an especially lovely option for those of us who prefer fabric bags to leather and don’t want to sacrifice quality or style. And my shoulder bag in ‘08 vote goes to the top left ‘Skirt’ bag in a black Damask-like fabric with purple trim.

Here’s to hoping all our dreams come true with Obama as President in 2008!

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So, let me start this post by saying, thank you, my patient and loyal readers, for sticking through the silence and subscribing, visiting and checking in on me. Please know that I haven’t forgotten you and/ or DD and am just working out a few kinks. So while things may be a little slow around here, I am following the advice of the uber-encouraging and creative-supportive Tim Gunn, who I dream of telling me in person one day, “[Ziva], Make it work!”

And in celebration of the mental blocks and life obstacles that we all have to deal with and overcome in one way or another, this week’s all about baggage! Ha, get it? Both the mental/ emotional baggage we all carry around with us and the beautiful bags that we physically carry around with us.

To kick off the week, I’m going to start with the Magnes Sisters beautifully crafted, handbags and shoulder bags. A few reasons why: the company’s founders Israeli-born and super talented; the bags are divine looking; and (and here’s the funny part) I actually met Dina a few years back, traveling through Vietnam - which was totally, unbelievably amazing btw. Harry and I were out on a junk boat in the middle of breathtaking Halong Bay, in the middle of nowhere. And wouldn’t you know it we met other Israelis and Jews from NY. Ha. Small world indeed.

Back then, Dina was talking about the company she and her sisters were starting to get off the ground. We talked about the production and design I remember. And now, I’m thrilled to see they’re making waves. And rightfully so: the Classic Martini and Dry Martini Clutch featured above are amazing feminine, retro shapes made of colorful leather so luxurious it’s satin-y. Pricey for an everyday bag but certainly perfect for a special occasion.

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