Archive for February, 2013
Kukula | Nataly Abramovich | Dolls. The Complicated Version
|February 28, 2013
Whenever a friend of mine shares with me one of his/hers designer/artist friends I get super excited because it means that they think of me as a blogger (I still can’t believe that this is my day job!) Anyways, apparently Kukula (aka Nataly Abramovich) is a well known name worldwide and it happens that she is an Israeli among other things. Nataly’s look alike dolls are not your average dolls. She puts so many emotion and pain into their facial expressions and body language. I bet there is a lot I don’t know about the behind the scene process but I sure do would love to!
{A DesignBreak by Nophar Haimovitz}
www.kukulaland.com


in Art, Israeli Designer | Tags: , | No Comments.
A Typographer in The Making | Take Seven
|February 26, 2013

 By now you probably know the drill, every other Tuesday Liron Lavi Turkenich shares with us her day to day life as a typography student at Redding. You would expect lots of fonts and alignments talk but instead you can find lots of foodie talk with a dash of design-y and artsy shows. Don’t worry, there is still plenty of room for Liron the typographer (she is so cute when talking about her future font!).
Go ahead and read her post… It’s super “Israeli” in a way but don’t miss the part where the marshmallow pop up shop is mentioned (!!!)
{Photos by Liron Lavi Turkenich}

White rain, black ice. BBC weather website is addicting. Cannot trust my intuition anymore before going out of the house. Accidentally buying a skirt, accidentally getting a nice perfume tester and Nespresso capsules in Selfridges. I am willing to move there anytime. Discovering Monmouth coffee in Borough and not wanting to stand the long line. Not using the word “line” anymore, but it’s British equivalent ‘queue’. Happy to be cravings-chaser when it succeeds, and in Covent garden’s Monmouth cafe enjoying the pleasures of cosy communal table, fresh Brioche, great conversation and most important- another rare case of good coffee. Having a very bad series of “Everything is sold out or closed”. Hayward Gallery Light Show, Farmers market in Bermondsey, Tate’s Lichtenstein Retrospective, marshmallow pop up shop on Kingly court. To be continued… Finally starting my typeface’s Italics, and loving their friendliness. Designing a bold weight in my opinion, but a semi-bold in everybody else’s opinion. Wondering what that says about me. Coming to London for the opening of an exhibition, but not being able to feel my frozen toes and standing in a very crowded room makes the experiance seem a lot less cool. Giving a talk about Hebrew in the department. Being happy with the large turnout and tempting people to love Hebrew by giving homemade Tahini cookies. Buying family size Tahini jars too often. Getting to the point of missing real Hummus, and going with school friends to a surprisingly good Hummus place, not without teaching the “Nigguv” movement. Starting to see letter forms as humans or animals but understanding that its part of the deal. Or maybe it’s just me?
-
{Don’t miss Liron’s Reading Calling and A Typographer in The Making}

in Break Buddies, Graphic Design, Israeli Designer | Tags: , | No Comments.
Roni Reuveny | Bleeding Fruits
|
When my friend Noa first shared with me Roni Reuveny’s meat fruits I didn’t know what to make of it. I LOVE my fruits and I eat them like crazy but… There is something quite disturbing about these very much realistic fruits made out of polymer clay. A lot of emotions and associations come to mind when it comes to meat and so… Roni was thinking about Adam, Eve and the apple when she began working on these bleeding fruits.
This project is part of an exhibition that explores the relation between meat and the culture of BBQ in Israel.
{Photos by Noa Kedmi}
You can get in touch with Roni at:
ronireuveny {at} gmail {dot} com


in Art, Exhibition Break, Israeli Designer | Tags: , , | No Comments.
My San Francisco Break | Furniture and Food for Thought
|February 22, 2013

It’s been almost two weeks now that I haven’t written and published posts each and every day like I normally do and I hate the feeling! I know I can blame it on the relocation but I won’t…
Living in the city (since Saturday) feels like a dream. The apartment is still pretty much empty (hi there, Night and Day sofa. You’ll be mine soon!) but all the furniture is on it’s way. Between visits to Ikea, CB2, Create & Barrel, West Elm and back to CB2 I discovered two super cool restaurants (Tacolicious and Cha-Ya Vegetarian Japanese Restaurant) that I intend to visit a lot from now on. Oh, and I feel in love with a wall graffiti! (I know how it sounds…)
{Photos by Me}

in InstagramBreak | Tags: , | 2 Comments.
Student Break | Lihi Svirsky | Chasing Time
|February 21, 2013
It’s funny how much I’ve missed writing my Student Breaks… I feel like they are my favorite of them all!
Lihi Svirsky is an industrial design student at the Shenkar College and while going through her portfolio I couldn’t decide which project I liked best… but finally I decided to share with you her Hourglass. I’m not really sure how to describe it rather than just show it to you… It’s such a slick and minimal design – exactly how I like it! Don’t you need this beauty in your home? Hello Kickstarter, I think you should hear about this one!
{DesignBreak found Lihi here}

www.lihisvirsky.com


in Industrial Design, Israeli Designer, StudentBreak | Tags: , , | No Comments.
Student Break | Shoval Shavit | There’s an Elephant in My Tub
|February 15, 2013
In Israel we don’t have too many water resources and that’s why we can’t turn on the water when we shower and go with the flow for as long as we want to. It doesn’t work that way (although sometime I wish it was). Anyways, with Shoval Shavit’s PILUSH, it looks like kids would love to save water or at least learn how to since it’s an “Inflatable bath toy that takes up an area and volume of the bath saves up to 60 liters”. It doesn’t sound like a bad idea, in fact I need my very own PILUSH!
FYI, Shoval is a forth year industrial design student at the Shenkar College.
{A DesignBreak by Noga Manor}

www.shovalshavit.com


in Industrial Design, Israeli Designer, PlayBreak, StudentBreak | Tags: , | No Comments.
Featured.Shopping Break| Handpicked by me.

If you follow my Facebook or Twitter, you can’t miss the fact that summer and beach days are all I talk about (it always comes with a sprinkle of coffee, dessert and some more sunshine). I can’t help myself but daydream of my next vacation with white sands, turquoise water and lots and lots of sun! So… when I bumped into Willow Know’s scarves my first reaction was: I guess there is someone else in this world that knows exactly what’s important in life. Yep, beach days! I don’t know if it’s just my wild imagination but these scarves are what a perfect day at the beach should look like. And if I need to choose my fave three, it’s super easy: one, two, three.

in Shopping Break
Galy Shwartz | Intimate Nature
|February 13, 2013
Galy Shwartz graduated Shenkar College back in 2011. I can still remember how excited I got by her collection… Fast forward and almost two years later after working extra hard on her debut collection, only one necklace from the original round made the cut. Can you guess which one?
“Galy’s Journey embodies a personal voyage to nature: a road of high trees leads to a foggy path covered with leaves; a dark, rainy, stormy road creates a path of light and peace.”
{Photos by MY studio}

www.galyshwartz.com


in Fashion, Israeli Designer | Tags: , | No Comments.
A Typographer in The Making | Take Six
|

 I hope you enjoy Liron Lavi Turkenich’s posts as much as I do.
I’ve always wanted to get a sneak peek into a student’s life these days (it’s been way too long since my days as a student) and Liron is giving us the grand tour! Anyways, this post is all about some numbers and yet again some food talk, just the way I like it…
Oh, and it seems like Liron has yet to design 389 Amharic characters (!!!)
I can’t wait to see them all but I sure hope it won’t interfere with her foodie tour around London ;)
{Photos by Liron Lavi Turkenich}

Time for some numbers. We’ve been here for 21 weeks, payed 5 months rent. Number of weekend of not visiting London: 3, number of times watching Les Misérables: 3 (including one overpriced ticket+popcorn in the cinema). Number of Latin characters designed: 26. Number of Hebrew characters designed: 14. Number of Amharic characters designed: 31. Remaining Amharic characters to design: 389. number of 100% final letters designed: 0. But actually, why bother with numbers? Don’t we have the privilege as designers to get dizzy by numbers and stop calculating? Taking a really close look at Dürer‘s engravings and thinking that art history classes seem so long ago. Smiling because of the oddities I spotted in old catalogs Getting the privilege of accessing the Monotype archives on a heavy-snow day. Starting to find my way through the unbelievable amount of type related material, sketches and specimens just in time to find out that the building has to be shut down because of the snow. Once again visiting a supermarket and feeling like in a museum. This time it’s Whole Foods. Escaping before buying the entire store but still getting the best carrot cake ever. Needing a mint colored sweater that I spotted months ago, and having everyone search the storage room for it. Mint sweater- check! Discovering the Cyrillic script. Discovering the wonderful lakes and forest just 10 minutes from our flat. Discovering the large community of bird-watchers in Reading. Being enchanted with the sun and forgetting that it was rainy yesterday, and therefore having to wear a ridicules rain coat so my nice coat won’t get soaked with mud from our bicycle ride. Onion soup, risotto, home made hummus, tons of Antipasti, pea soup. Comforting, warming and giving you an excuse not to move after eating them. Can’t decide if the winter should end or last a little more. I guess no one is really asking me…
-
{Don’t miss Liron’s Reading Calling and A Typographer in The Making}

in Break Buddies, Graphic Design, Israeli Designer | Tags: , | No Comments.
Yaara Landau-Katz | The Aging Bowls
|February 12, 2013
Whenever a super exciting creation lands in my inbox I have this on going dilemma, should I or shouldn’t I write about it and publish right away? Well, I guess today was one of those days. This morning I received this super sweet email written by Yaara Landau-Katz, in which she shared with me her Three colors journey. The question “should I” or “ shouldn’t I?” left my mind after a split second… With Yaara’s new bowls, she is stacking up the colors as she dips the bare ceramic in glaze and the end result is a pretty one!
FYI, I still LOVE Yaara’s graduate project. Just saying…

cargocollective.com/yaaralandau-katz


in Ceramics, Israeli Designer | Tags: , , | No Comments.
World Break | Karen Vanmol | Pastel Candies
|February 8, 2013
The minute I spotted Karen Vanmol’s statement pieces my heart missed a beat, but then the plot thickens and what I thought to be my future ring is apparently a brooch. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against brooches but I LOVE rings! The way Karen uses these pastel strokes of formica so beautifully on the wooden surface makes me want to plead my case and maybe (just maybe) get her to start thinking about transforming these oh-so-dreamy brooches to oh-so-yummy rings!
{DesignBreak found Karen here}
{This is a Belgian Break}

www.karenvanmol.com


in Fashion, World Break | Tags: , , , | No Comments.
Featured.Shopping Break| Handpicked by me.

I sure miss my Shopping Breaks! It feels like ages… Once a friend of mine said to me that since I began writing DesignBreak I don’t shop as much. I guess there’s something true about that. It feels like once I write about a design, I don’t necessarily need to buy it! Don’t get me wrong, I still love to shop but not as much as I used to… And these days my wish list is all about stationary and other office supplies that make me happy! I’ll tell you more about it in a few weeks but until then, let me share with you my obsession for Julia Kostreva’s bright and colorful daily planners and notebooks. FYI, This yellowish piece of heaven definitely needs to be mine!

in Shopping Break
Tesler + Mendelovitch | Wood You?
|February 7, 2013
Tesler+ Mendelovitch are Orli Tesler and Itamar Mendelovitch. These two are a creative couple, who are making their first steps in the design scene and it seems like they are here to stay. While still in design school, they began creating wooden diamonds and since then wood is all they care about! You won’t hear any complaints from this side of the screen, since they moved on to wooden textiles… Since I first bumped into their wooden clutches all I want to do is hold one in my hands…
{A DesignBreak by TLVstyle}
{Photos by Yotam From}
You can get in touch with the two at:
tesler.mendel {at} gmail {dot} com


in Fashion, Israeli Designer | Tags: , , , | No Comments.
One On One Break | Mika Barr | Love Me Some Textile Breeze
|February 6, 2013

  • Geo Collection | Photo by Danielle Yashar
  • Pyramid | Photo by Danielle Yashar
  • Leaf Collection | Photo by Danielle Yashar
  • Geo Collection | Photo by Danielle Yashar
  • The lady behind these dreamy textiles | Photo by Daniel Tchetchik
 I’ve been one of Mika Barr biggest fans since I first bumped into her graduation project back in 2009. And you know me, once I fall in love, it’s practically a love affair (exhibit a. exhibit b). Mika is one of these rare textile designers who know how to re-invent themselves time after time and each and every time the outcome is a textile piece of heaven! It was only a matter of time until I asked Mika to join me on my One On One Break. So… I’ll let Mika do the talking, you want to hear what she has to say… Lights. Camera. Action!

www.mikabarr.com
I’d love to hear about you, your journey, how it all began.
I’m 29 y/o, born and raised in Israel (Ra’anana, to be precise). As a child I was exposed to a lot of art and at about 15 I realized that it affected me…
I Graduated my B.Design at the Shenkar College in 2009, later in mid 2010 moved to Milan, there I completed a post graduate course, that was followed by an internship at Material Connexion Milan (Milan’s material library). When I returned to Israel I started working independently.		MikaBarr
Where do you live, what do you like about it and how does it affect your creations?
I live in Ramat-Gan. I loooove the fact that it’s near the park (Hayarkon). I like that it’s super close to Tel-Aviv and that I have action and quiet, subjected to my choice. However I’m not that sure if it affects my creation. Maybe it’s just a reflection of the fact that I like cities, with a healthy balance of nature here and there.MikaBarr
What does a normal day in your life look like?
Well… I get up and from there it’s a mix of: COFFEE. food. studio. computer. screen-printing. errands. meetings. and at the end of it all I’m back home. You can mix the order and multiply some words but those are the common ingredients.MikaBarr
What are the advantages/disadvantages of being an Israeli based designer?
Advantages… ummm let me think… As much as I like Israel, I think it’s hard to be an independent designer around here. Having said that, I do have to admit that there is now a growing awareness to the importance of local design. We are starting to receive some support from funds that recognize that
young entrepreneurs and designers constitute a group by themselves, with specific needs and challenges. Other advantages are born of disadvantages – we don’t have any large scale manufacturers here, so we find our own resourceful, economic ways of self production. Necessity is the mother of invention, right?		MikaBarr
What makes you different from other Israeli designers?
I see my working with 3D soft surfaces as an aspect that individualizes me from other designers, not just Israeli. It also unifies me with others, because it’s a “hot” field of design these days.
Can you describe your work process for me?
It usually starts from an idea of trying something new in terms of material or pattern or a combination of the two. Then I start experimenting, and from there it takes on a life of its own…MikaBarr
As a textile designer, you often collaborate with other designers. What is it like and what do you look for in collaboration?
First of all, we need to have a good starting point in terms of communication. We need to respect each others point of view. I prefer to collaborate with designers that have skills or design characteristics different from mine, I think that’s what makes a good collaboration and can lead to great outcomes. Plus, it’s fun (!!!)MikaBarr
Is there anything in particular that fuels your creativity as a designer?
For me it’s all about nature and it’s flowers and plants.
Also a good magazine can be a creativity booster.		MikaBarr
Which place in the world most inspires you and why?
The Milan design scene is definitely an inspiration, but I like to go every once in a while to Gan HaSlaim (Rock Garden), One of the special gardens in Ganei Yehoshua (Park Hayarkon). I find that there is something magical in that hidden garden.MikaBarr
Could you share with us your progression as a designer, compared to when you first started out, how have you changed since then?
I have grown as a person as well as a designer since I graduated.
As an independent person, I learned that you have to also know how to explain and market yourself. My design process has become more focused and “down to earth”. Even if I am making a piece for an exhibition, I still try to be as efficient as I can.		MikaBarr
Are there any up and coming designers you admire?
I really like Patricia Urquiola but she’s not that up and coming… She practically rules Milan. I also like Cristian Zuzunaga, a great graphic/visual designer with a distinguished language. And I also like Raw Edges, they are wonderful!MikaBarr
What was one of your biggest lessons learned since starting out?
That patience is the mother of all virtues.MikaBarr
What do you find most rewarding about your career?
That I create my day, everyday. Also, when I get good feedback from a customer on one of my products – that’s a really incredible feeling.MikaBarr
At the age of 20, what did you think you were going to do “as a grown up” – where do you see yourself in the future? Has your dream come true already?
I’m definitely living my dream everyday. Of course I don’t feel that I’m “there” yet, but it’s really great working everyday in order to “make it”. Who knows, maybe it will always feel like I’m not “there” yet… that’s why I appreciate what I do each and every day and try to enjoy (or at least appreciate) the difficult parts as well.
The funny thing is that at age 20 (after the mandatory military service), I had a short period in which I thought to approach design as a hobby and to go study advertisement …
I’m so happy I didn’t!		MikaBarr
And finally, please share with us something nobody knows about you.
Well, some people do know that but it’s time to share it with the rest of the world – I have strong groupie tendencies and I absolutely adore Berry Sakharof (!!!)MikaBarr

in Israeli Designer, One On One Break, Textile Design | Tags: , , | No Comments.
IllustratedBreak. February 2013 | By Lital Gold
|February 5, 2013
With so many new and exciting things to come this year (Hi, 2013!) let me introduce you to My February Illustrated Break, created by the ever inspiring textile designer and illustrator extraordinaire, Miss Lital Gold. Back in June 2012 Lital shared with us what goes on inside her head while illustrating. This time with her brand new illustrated dancing penguins I have a feeling we are on a more optimistic path!
Each month a new Desktop wallpaper will be up for grabs for you to download and jazz up your computer.
Click to download:
iPhone. iPad. 1024x768. 1280x1024. 1680x1050. 1900x1200.


in Illustrated Break | | No Comments.
« Older Entries

Sponsored by







  • Free domestic shipping on orders of $150 or more