A series of interviews with creative people in Berlin

Thanks to a post in a Facebook group for Israeli women, I got to meet 

, an artist living and creating in Berlin. After I dropped Robin off, I drove from the quiet residential neighborhood where his Kita is located, to the center of Berlin’s oh-so-popular Friedrichshain. This area is known to be very cool, alternative and artistic, and it is the exact opposite of our south-western neighborhood, both in vibe and physical location. That made me extra excited to visit Anna’s exhibition, for which she collaborated with 

, right in the center of the architecturally impressive Frankfurter Tor.

I was immediately attracted by the location, as well as the colorful and interesting three-dimensional pieces inside the gallery. I always respond to installations that allow you to see the pieces from different angles and walk around them. My experience at the exhibition, titled “A lying sun”, was made extra special thanks to the amazing actual sunlight that came in through the large glass doors, and the soft and delicate movements of the fabrics that were part of the art pieces, both creating a magical ambiance.

Afterward, we sat down for some mediocre coffee, but awesome conversation, in a gorgeous cafe, which seemed like it was frozen in time, thus providing us with an amazing vintage atmosphere.

I’m currently focusing on creating 3D digital images and printing them on different materials. I use primarily two-dimensional surfaces, like paper and textiles, to make three-dimensional forms and installations. I studied fashion design at Shenkar college for engineering and design in Israel, worked as a designer and a stylist, and taught design. I still love this field and these days I design costumes for dance and stage productions. That enables me to continue exploring textiles and textures while avoiding the polluting aspect of the fashion industry and mass production. I created costumes for the show Girlanda performed by The Batsheva Ensemble. last year I collaborated with the choreographer 

 fellowship program, which connects Jewish artists living in Berlin, and I recently worked with 

In the past, I was a street artist, creating under the name Foma, and in 2011 my work was showcased as a part of a street art exhibition at Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art in Tel Aviv. Painting on walls is still something that I do, but nowadays I do it commercially for firms, restaurants and hotels that hire my services, and as a collaboration with interior design studios, such as the Israeli Yaron Tal and Studio Mu. You can see my art at the Urban loft hotel in Berlin, The Voco Düsseldorf Seestern, Benedict restaurants, the NYX Herzliya hotel, and two Mindspace office spaces in Israel, to name a few.

Tell us a bit about your professional journey, what led you to do what you do?

I studied art in school, and later, in college, studied fashion design to direct that interest towards an actual profession. After graduating, I was looking for another form of creative expression and was looking to explore the emotional aspects of my journey as an artist, so I turned to street art. However, I found that it had certain limitations, such as the conceptual and physical materials that I had to work with. That made me transition to installations, which is my favorite creative outlet. I enjoy creating spaces that can be both seen and experienced.

Could you share a bit about your relocation to Berlin? When, why, how?

I moved to Berlin four years ago, and all of my friends were already living here. I realized that Berlin offered me more artistic opportunities. Here I can physically experience current exhibitions of artists from all over the world, which is much more exciting and inspiring than seeing it only online.

Has Berlin or the experience of relocation changed your art/design in any way?

In a way, I moved here to allow myself to start over artistically, and that takes away the pressure of the comparison. At first, I closed off, and it took me a while to process my materials again. But I am really happy with what I’m currently doing and I feel that I have more freedom here.

I like to go out and enjoy Berlin’s nightlife. I also explore nature, flea markets and exhibits.

What is an essential tool/instrument for your daily work?

A free and open-source program for 3D models named 

. It makes processes, that used to be very time-consuming, much easier and more accessible. I use it to take photos using my phone and then transform them into 3D models, without needing years of modeling or coding experience. It’s really amazing.

The second part of my collaboration with Katharina Trudzinski will take place in 

 in Tel Aviv this spring. The first part, which you visited, was showcased in Berlin’s Gallery im Turm a couple of months ago. Both exhibits form a connection between the physical surroundings of the two galleries. I used 3D scans of the public spaces around them and created surrealistic collages of imaginary landscapes. My idea was to explore the way we perceive and remember the public spaces around us, and how our external environment becomes our inner environment.

I really enjoy collaborating with other artists and feel that it produces unexpected things. I think a certain way, and suddenly someone else comes along and brings something new to the creative process. Katharina and I both have backgrounds in fashion and textiles, and similarly. we both use two-dimensional materials and transform them into three-dimensional objects.

Can you share one big dream or aspiration of yours?

Anything to recommend to our community? Book, movie, series, exhibition…

, who I also met during my fellowship with LABA. She is collaborating with Jens Brand and they are showcasing kinetic sculptures with sound at the 

 in Berlin. You can catch it until February 4th 2023.

Creatives in Berlin - Anna Mirkin

A few of my favorite Israeli home decor brands

My favorite interiors are those that manage to incorporate different styles, inspirations and materials seamlessly. I always prefer the eclectic and the surprising to the predictable, love to mix and match items from different brands and shops and always try to avoid creating a look that resembles a catalogue and lacks personality. That’s where independent and innovative designers and brands come in to play. As a designer and creator I am always on the hunt for new discoveries. Cool product, textile, furniture, lighting and graphic designers, as well as artists and cute little shops. Discovering innovative designers excites and inspires me and I absolutely love incorporating their creations into mine. Usually those are the items that capture the viewer’s eyes straight away and add variety, depth and character to the space.

Supporting designers, creators, artists and entrepreneurs was always important to me. Naturally, the current pandemic in addition to the known ecological and social effects of the big corporations, makes supporting small businesses even more important. But like I wrote above, I am all about combining both worlds to achieve a good and functional design within the given budget. When it comes to ordering items from overseas, I prefer to choose really unique designs that I can’t find anywhere else. I wouldn’t carelessly order anything from anywhere, because that could affect the timeline and budget and goes against the environmental guidelines that I try to uphold.

Having said that, coming here from another country, I have this urge to tell the world about some of the amazing talent I encountered in Israel. Like Israeli food (which is amazing, by the way), the Israeli design scene utilizes inspiration from different places around the world and incorporates it with technology, craftsmanship and creative new points of view.

For this post I chose five designers and brands that I personally really love and that have also branched outside of Israel and ship their creations internationally. I have met most of those designers in person, interviewed them for my blog or for other magazines and bought their designs for myself and/or for my clients.

Mika is an Israeli textile designer. She graduated from the textile department in Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art, where she started developing her unique 3D printing technique. She launched her brand in 2012 and since then has been creating various textile items, such as throw pillows, lighting fixtures, throw blankets, wall art and much more. While working in Israel, coming to her studio has become one of my favorite stops for home styling projects. Mika’s amazing patterns and the variety of beautiful colors and fabrics allow much creative freedom to mix-and-match according to the color scheme and style of the space.

The Israeli brand designs and manufactures amazing design and art pieces, all made out of metal and iron. It was founded by Meirav Ringel and utilizes different techniques, such as laser cutting, in order to create versatile accessories and wall art. Her set of flying geometric birds was hanging on the wall behind our dining table in our last apartment in Israel, and it made me smile everytime I looked at it. Choosing photos to display here, on this post, was so difficult because everything on their collection is oh-so gorgeous! I especially appreciate how delicate and soft the items seem, even though they are made out of a strong and “cold” material.


Irit Hayun, a graphic designer with a successful branding studio in her name, created this 1of135, a separate brand that offers an exceptional art collection for interior spaces. Her excellent taste and understanding of both the design and art fields, led her to successfully fill in a necessary gap between the interior design and art scenes and the brand quickly became a favorite spot for architects, interior designers and stylists. The collection demonstrates a variety of pieces from all ends of the visual art spectrum - illustrations, paintings, photography and more. They collaborate with talented Israeli artists to create a carefully curated and yet extremely diverse collection. Unlike other online platforms that focus on interior wall art, the pieces are all offered in limited additions. That is actually where the name of the brand comes from - “we are not one in a million - We are '1of135'” - as it states on their website. They create and sell only up to 135 copies of each piece, thus managing to combine uniqueness with affordability.

In my fantasy home, I have a big display cabinet in the kitchen or the dining area, featuring an endless collection of inspiring ceramic pieces. Tel avivian brand Yahalomis, founded by husband and wife team Tal and Roy Yahalomi, will definitely be a part of that cabinet. They create handmade contemporary ceramic pieces, like vases, accessories, tableware, Judaica, lighting fixtures and others. The current collection includes products that are made out of terracotta and basalt rocks, featured in their natural matt finish. It is almost impossible not to fall in love with the clean lines, minimalistic style and beautiful details that each item displays.

When the art of macrame made its way back to our lives a few years ago, I wasn’t sure if the trend was going to last very long. I immediately liked the soft and boho-chic vibes it brings, but seeing its contemporary artistic interpretations really made me love it and want to incorporate it in my home and projects. I first encountered the creations of Neomi Yam-Suf up close when I was invited to participate in a macrame workshop at her studio. Since then I kept following her on social media, appreciating her handmade craftsmanship, hand dyed soft color choices and sense of style. Lately she revealed her new collection, which is absolutely stunning, and features neutral tones and a few more geometric and minimalist pieces.

* Main photo - Lighting fixtures by Mika Barr, Photography: Michael Topyol

5 Israeli brands that ship internationally 

As I was walking from my car to the Cafe where the current exhibition of 

 was showcased, I realized that the last time that I interviewed anyone in person was before we moved to Berlin, meaning over 4 years ago. And boy, did I miss it! Sitting down with interesting people, talking about art, design, architecture, entrepreneurship, life in Berlin, and life in general, is really one of my favorite things.

As I told Itamar and his work and life partner Shir, his work spoke to me immediately. It is so delicate and relatable, thought-provoking and highly sensitive, artistic and yet could very easily fit in many different spaces. Itamar and Shir are travelers and entrepreneurs, and in Berlin they went on a journey to explore their passion for the craft of embroidery and make it their own

Contemporary three-dimensional embroidery.

I am a self-taught artist and my work combines thousands of years of embroidery traditions with different techniques, some of which I developed myself, all to create a new and contemporary language of three-dimensional embroidery pieces. Each piece tells a personal and cultural story, using natural objects as inspiration. I find that nature is global and relatable, and I use it as another form of vocabulary to create a representation that evokes different emotions and feelings.

, for example, depicts two sticks on different stages of the decay process. It’s small in scale but represents large concepts such as life and death, as new life is already emerging from the sticks in the form of fungi and mold. The entire natural cycle is represented by this specific snapshot. People find it very moving and see themselves in it. For instance, a couple who were expecting their first child saw it and immediately expressed their desire to add a third stick to the piece, because they could see their future family in it.

In general, I portray the aging, dismantling, decaying and rotting processes in nature, and not so much the blossoming and growing. I find it aesthetically appealing, and relate to the idea of accepting those difficult changes as a natural part of life. That said, I believe that every depiction of a part of this course, contains and represents the cycle as a whole.

Another aspect of my work concerns the common perception of embroidery as a craft, while I consider it art and treat my pieces as such. Traditionally, this was a craft carried out mostly by women, who created napkins, tablecloths and other objects for the home. I treat my pieces as fine art - I frame them behind glass, in white minimalistic picture frames, with passe-partout, and also create an illusion that the piece is hovering inside. All of that plays a role in the story that I am trying to tell.

Along with my partner Shir, I traveled the world and lived in different places for over a decade. We were always fascinated by traditional crafts and cultures and visited local markets and museums, but still haven't done it professionally ourselves. Embroidery was always a part of our lives. Both my mother and Shir's grandmother, who were and are very significant parts of our lives, did embroidery. During our travels, we noticed how global this craft is, and how different cultures have been using it for thousands of years as a storytelling platform. During our travels, we used to carry with us fabrics and threads so we could embroider our experiences, just like a journal.

Only when we arrived in Berlin three years ago, I started experimenting with it professionally. My first project was a combination of embroidery with 3D printing. It was at the beginning of the pandemic and it was a bit too innovative and different. It didn't really take off, but we learned a lot from that experience.

My current project emerged instantly while we were visiting Austria with friends. Beautiful pebbles by the river bank caught our attention, and as we were playing with them and creating different shapes and structures, the thought of making an embroidered pebble came to my mind.

When we got back to Berlin, I started learning, experimenting and exploring materials and techniques. Even though the first attempt wasn't yet polished or refined, it was clear that there was something there. The juxtaposition between the weight of the stone and the lightness of the threads, and the texture that formed, were very interesting to me. I spent hours on the sewing machine, using and developing different techniques to create the hovering effect and three-dimensional shapes. I was overwhelmed by how expressive and esthetically beautiful this technique and medium is, and people immediately responded to it. The pieces resonate with the viewers on different levels - emotional, conceptual and esthetical, and depict many contradictory aspects and principles that I find fascinating, such as traditional and contemporary, stiffness and softness, and beginnings and endings.

Could you share a bit about your relocation to Berlin? When, why, how was the experience?

After a decade in the Americas, we wanted to explore a country that is a bit closer to Israel, our home country. In 2019 we spent a week visiting friends in Berlin and experienced an amazingly vibrant summer. We don't consider ourselves urban people, but we love throwing ourselves into different and challenging situations. The same goes for the decision to pursue art professionally - we've never done it before, but why not give it a try? In both cases, we decided to go all in and see what happens. We reinvented ourselves in every place that we got to, and in Berlin we became artists.

Even though we are not big fans of city life, we do really love this city, and we fall in love with it even more the longer we are here.

Berlin itself is a part of my art. The natural objects that inspire my pieces may look like they came from the forest, but in fact I found them on the city streets, sidewalks and the backyard of our building. Except for the pebbles, all the elements originate from the city. My pieces tell the story of contradictions, and this adds another layer of that.

I take the time to read, study history and archaeology, travel and spend time with my friends.

My vintage-made-in-Germany sewing machine. I use a combination of hand stitching with freehand machine embroidery, which is similar to freehand drawing or painting, and is not limited only to straight lines like traditional use of a sewing machine.

 until November 26th and participating in a group exhibition titled 

 between 3-19/11/2022. On top of  that we are preparing for the Christmas art fairs and applying for various art competitions.

To make a living through my art, which is no easy task. I would also like to go bigger in the scale of my pieces and take this technique further. It is already extremely expressive, but I believe there is always room for growth and improvement.

Travel. Always and for as much time as possible. Take a year to explore and really get to know another culture. No book on a country could ever compare to actually living in that place.

 account to check out more of his incredible work.


Creatives in Berlin - Itamar Yehiel

Suggested color palettes and decor choices for your children's room

Styling our Berlin apartment is a process and we do it little by little. I love a good "before and after" picture, appreciate a good makeover reveal and enjoy a beautiful and photogenic "complete" design just like the next gal, but our personal process so far has been different. We moved here almost three years ago with six suitcases and a dog. Beforehand we sold and gave away most of our belongings and then spent the first year bouncing around from one fully furnished sublet to another (and another) with a tiny baby, aka Robin, all over the city.

After that first year we finally found a long term lease - a two bedroom apartment in Steglitz (on the south-western area of the city). We knew the tenants that lived here before us and they left us many things that they no longer needed. Still our shopping list was super long. We had no furniture, kitchenware, lighting fixtures, bed sheets or towels and basically had to start from scratch. That feeling of a clean slate was exciting for me, as a designer and a recovering shopoholic, but I knew that we had to start with covering our basics and couldn't get everything that we needed and wanted all at once.

Robin is now 2.5 years old and we recently welcomed his baby sister Libby into our lives. His room which he will eventually share with Libby, is still, much like our family, is evolving. Every few months we purchase a few more items and get a little closer to the desired result. In styling his room I knew I wanted to choose gender neutral colors, avoid branded characters and images and find the right balance between a playful and a relaxed atmosphere. Because I had so much time to plan it, I had many ideas and color pallets in mind before I chose one that I felt suited him and us best.

In addition to the color story that I chose, I created for this post four additional mood boards with different color palettes, wallpaper choices and accessories for a nursery and/or children's bedroom. I'm sure that each of you can relate to at least one of those and maybe use it to create a dreamy bedroom for your little ones. 

FIY - all items are available for purchase from online shops in Germany and below each mood board you can find the relevant links. 

The first one is the one that I wound up going with. It was defined gradually, starting with two wall decor items that I found on a regular stroll around Prenzlauer Berg before we moved and a laundry basket found a few months earlier at HEMA. Then I purchased a round carpet at the Home24 outlet, where I found other great items for our new apartment. Only after seeing these four items together, I realized that the perfect color palette for this room was under my nose, waiting to be discovered. To the colorful decor items in turquoise and mustard tones I would add white or light grey furniture and incorporate a few items that are made out of wood and rattan, that fit the yellowish tones beautifully.

As you can see from the color scheme of this very website, I love the combination of green and pink. There is something very relaxing and fresh about it, it’s colorful but not too much, it could potentially grow and evolve with the kids and I perceive it as imaginative and playful. For this palette I would choose furniture in natural wooden tones that will add depth and emphasize the connection to nature.

If you have kids you probably already know how much color their toys and books bring into our lives and interior spaces. Maybe some of you manage to minimize it and buy mostly minimalistic items, but personally I don’t limit our and his variety based on color or material choices. For that reason the next three mood boards are based on more neutral tones, that create space and air for the more vibrant and playful colors of the toys and the books. Because grey tones tend to create a cooler atmosphere, I like to add warmer materials and textures such as wood for the furniture as well as details, accessories and flooring.

This mood board is based on white items with black, grey and wooden details. Because it creates such a quiet and calming vibe, I allowed myself to suggest an animalistic wallpaper that adds character and texture to the mix without being too loud.

I have to say that I’m very pleased to see that the warmer earthy tones made their way back into style. Using this palette we can incorporate darker and richer color choices as well as brighter and more subtle tones, alongside natural materials like wood, bamboo, rattan and canvas, while maintaining a calming effect and cohesive look.

Category: Home Decor