Designist Dream

Researching contemporary Israeli artists and designers for the recent Hanukkah Gift Guide, I came across some pretty wacky but exciting stuff. One such designer, who got my jaw to drop to the floor in utter amazement, was Ayala Serfaty of Aqua Creations. It’s almost like an acid trip gone underwater for furniture, lighting and interior design. What really tickled my design fancy was her design for the Red Sea Star Project, an underwater restaurant in Israel’s port city of Eilat. Situated 20 feet below the sea, the restaurant features sea anemone bar stools, jellyfish lights suspended from the ceiling, coral reef tables and even shadow plays of schools of fish swimming next to the real fish outside the restaurant. Serfaty further explained that she made most of the horizontal surfaces in the room reflective so the ceiling would float into the floor - so you’d get that real deep sea feeling.

I’m not into theme rooms. You see them mostly on the quicky DIY design shows and they rarely come out looking stylish, smart or anywhere near well done. So although I’m interested in visiting the Red Sea Star restaurant (haven’t been to Eilat in more than 10 years!) I feel it’s kitsch factor in full effect. And although I’m blown away by the quality of execution and overall organic aesthetic of Serfaty’s lighting and furniture items, I’m not sure how I’d incorporate them into a room without seemingly inserting a themed item that stands out in a bad way.

It seems to me like these works are created for a certain contemporary aesthetic. Take the MSS multi stalbet system by Serfaty for example. It’s a social couch, stalbet is Hebrew for “total relaxation”, that not only looks like an amazingly comfortable blog of a circular couch/lounge but it also has a hydraulic coffee table in the center that rises at the touch of a button, storage space for small items, and self-balancing trays for food and drink. I guess it better have a lot to offer since it seats up to 15. So to me, something like this would only fit a souped up bachelor pad or high-end Elle magazine contemporary white room.

So I can’t tell if I like Serfaty’s work or just admire her for her aesthetic aspirations. It’s very different, natural and even magical the way the jellyfish or shelf lamps (featured) curve around and glow like they’re alive. But does anyone have any ideas on how to incorporate Serfaty’s work into your average design-fan’s home?