From Place To Space: Design Hunting in Jaffa

After last week’s first introduction of the hotspot Tel Aviv in Israel, today I want to take you just a few kilometers south of the coastal city of Tel Aviv – to the old town of Jaffa. During my Israel trip I was happy enough to catch up with all my Israeli friends and one of them, my dear friend and fellow design blogger Chedva took me on a design hunting trip to Jaffa.

Our first stop was the famous flea market in Jaffa which is actually a mix of classic flea market and shops with vintage furniture, textiles and home accessories. No need to mention that I was particularly drawn to the plethora of kilim rugs in Jaffa – the mixture of patterns, colours and designs was astonishing. I felt the inner need to buy at least three of them, but fortunately I had my smart and resonated second half with me who reminded me of 32 square meters at home and five rugs that I already own. So I sticked to photo snapping. 

Chedva is an expert and a real local so she guided me pretty successfully through the winding alleys of Jaffa despite her self-proclaimed lack of orientation. We visited some nice shops like Uma, Asufa, the fragrance store Zielinski & Rozen, a shop of several local ceramicists and the famous Hangar 1 building in the port of Jaffa with cool shops, restaurants and cafés. We have also visited another very special interiors store, but I will blog about that one separately! After all the design hunting it was time for a little break – and thanks to Chedva we were able to enjoy a real tea time at the exclusive and private ladies club ‘Nine Rooms’ – and yes, I was allowed to enter even though I am not a lady but I have lady-like manners for that matter:-)

We also got lost in the winding alleys of old Jaffa – it truly feels like a trip back in time. And all the streets in that part of the town have creative names: They are named after the various signs of the Zodiac. We couldn’t skip the landmark art piece ‘Floating Orange Tree’ by the Israeli artist Ran Morin. And just next to it a brand new design hotel is about to open: the new W Hotel in Jaffa.

When you descend all the narrow streets of Jaffa you will inevitably arrive at the seafront and the towns old port – the most magnificent views of the old town and of Tel Aviv can be enjoyed here while sipping on your iced coffee or freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Sheer bliss!

Another indispensable stop in Jaffa is a food place called ‘Abu Hassan’. It is supposed to be the place with the best hummus in all Israel (if not the world) and it is a loud, crazy place that feels a bit more like Cairo or Marrakech than Jaffa. But the hummus is to die for – it will set your hummus bar to unreachable heights for the future! If you want more food recommendations in Tel Aviv/Jaffa and Jerusalem, make sure to check out my friend Lindsey’s blog post.

So, I feel like there’s a big batch of inspiration for a Monday, don’t you agree? I guess it’s time to let you go and wish you a very happy and successful start into the new week! Stay tuned for more Israel travel tips over the coming weeks!