Interior designers in Israel have a luxurious, perhaps even frivolous reputation. A service reserved for the rich and famous indulging in renovating their mansion. More often than not, when moving into a new home or doing a much-needed home renovation, hiring a designer seems like an unnecessary expense.
Your home in Israel may be the fulfillment of your ultimate dream or greatest investment. Home is more than a structure, it’s the setting for all life’s moments. It’s the place we look forward to returning to, and where we welcome friends and family. When the time comes to renovate or redecorate, or when moving into a new home, it’s as often an exciting time as it is stressful and overwhelming. Coordinating between different service providers and vendors, and juggling all the steps, plans and decisions, is a full-time job. So it’s important to have sound and reasoned advice, voices that not only understand the need to balance cost and style but are able to deliver the best designs to suit any budget.
This is where an interior designer, and the right interior designer, can be not only a luxury but a cost-saving necessity. Because, the right interior designer can play a number of roles in a project, many of which most people aren’t aware of.
Israel is a melting pot of different cultures and languages
- “Translator”– Shliflak! Interputz! Gerung! Shpachtel! Ever been in a showroom or construction site where it seems like everyone is speaking a different language? Well, they are! The design world in Israel is a melting pot of different cultures and languages. Many of the design and construction terms used originate from Hebrew, English, Arabic and even German. Not only do interior designers “speak the language” we also understand its implications to cost and application.
Beyond that, architectural drawings are an entire language in their own right. Misreading them can have devastating outcomes. Interior designers are trained to draw and read plans. When purchasing a home from a builder, it is so crucial to make sure you fully understand the plans and what you are getting in return. Minor details often mean thousands of shekels.
So whether in a showroom or on the construction site, or looking at plans, an interior designer is your personal translator of everything going on.
Catalogues and showrooms are abundant with the latest designs, lifestyle and storage solutions
- “Pharmacist”– Strolling down the aisle of any pharmacy, there is always a range of medications and remedies for every ailment – not all of them are right for you. Just as a pharmacist can guide you to the best product, and the best way to use it, the same with a good interior designer. Catalogs and showrooms are abundant with the latest designs, lifestyle, and storage solutions, but knowing the best ones to fit your space and needs is perhaps an interior designers’ greatest skill.
Understanding what you are dreaming of accomplishing in your space, together with the information about your lifestyle, enables us to narrow down the options, to what is right for you.
It is crucial to take lifestyle and stage of life into consideration
- “Fortune Tellers” – A lot of our job is learning about our clients. Who are they? What do they do? What are their needs now? But also anticipating who they are going to be in the coming years. When creating spaces, it is crucial to take lifestyle and stage of life into consideration. White couch and glass coffee tables aren’t practical choices for a young family with children, so too designing a home without a full bathroom and bedroom on the entrance level isn’t practical for a couple near retirement. Designing a store where the custom display units that only fit the products being sold this season, with no room to grow, isn’t business savvy. An interior designer helps you plan your space for now and the future. We plan now, so you won’t have to worry down the line.
There are so many great suppliers to choose from, but not all are right for your project
- “Tour guide” – Israel has come so far in the last 20 years. There are countless options for design materials, furniture, accessories, available at all price points. There are so many great suppliers to choose from, but not all are right for your project. An interior designer will be your tour guide, only taking you to the stores that are right for you, your project, and your budget. Their ongoing relationships and experience also ensure that you get the best deal, from the most reliable suppliers. Not only will they save you money, but they will also save you time. When shopping for furniture and products, as an interior designer will save you countless hours wasted roaming around stores that aren’t relevant to you. They enable you to be up to date on the latest trends and styles, as well as sales and promotions.
Renovations and construction sites have a lot of moving pieces
- “Juggler”- Any visit to a circus is not complete without a juggler. The more experienced and professional ones will juggle an array of items- fire, swords, oh my! Keeping it all moving smoothly takes practice and expertise. Renovations and construction sites have a lot of moving pieces. There are timelines, vendors, suppliers, and workers that all need to be coordinated and managed. An interior designer does just that. Together with the contractor, interior designers coordinate installations, deliveries, and the various trade professionals involved. At the best of times, we anticipate problems and solve them before they happen. At the worst, we run crisis management and solve problems in real-time. Things are so dynamic on construction sites and mistakes happen. Interior designers are there to solve things, without letting a ball drop.
Our job is to see potential in everything
- “Visionary and Realist”– Our job is to see potential in everything. You see four walls on a black and white piece of paper, we see endless potential waiting to be utilized. Beyond the matching of materials and recommending colors, interior designers are directly involved in the building aspects of the project. Interior designers draw up all the technical plans needed for construction, including furniture layout, lighting, electricity, plumbing, tiling, carpentry, and more. These plans are crucial for the success of the renovation. They are not only used for planning, but also for getting price quotes and for the trades to work from. Interior designers are trained to not only recommend which styles and colors will work in your space, but also the building technologies and construction techniques.
The ability to maintain the full picture while focusing on the smallest detail
- “Camera lens”- A camera lens can capture both a breathtaking sunset over the horizon and the smallest ant carrying a morsel of food on its back. One tool has the ability to maintain the full picture while focusing in on the smallest detail. The right interior designers’ skill is to always maintain the full picture of the end result that you are dreaming to achieve while piecing together details, one at a time.
Above all, your interior designer is the person who wants more than anything to have your hopes and dreams come true. They spend day and night thinking of you and how to make the future you are dreaming of coming true. They envision the happy moments and joyous occasions that you will share in your home and hope that it will keep you happy for many years to come.
Tamar Harow is an Interior Designer specializing in working with Olim and Anglos to build their dream homes in Israel. Tamar can be reached at +972-543392415 or [email protected].