Yoga Teacher Transforms Small Tel Aviv Apartment into Eclectic Oriental Oasis
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
Almog Zamir, a 44-year-old yoga instructor, has curated a unique, eclectic living space in his 58-square-meter Tel Aviv apartment, blending antique Oriental artifacts with European and African pieces. He likens the home's design process to building a yoga practice, emphasizing patience and the infusion of history. Zamir's collection includes items from flea markets, auctions, and online finds, creating a personal sanctuary that brings him relaxation. The apartment features distinct areas like a converted dining nook and a personalized kitchen with a taxidermied ibex.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Yoga instructor Almog Zamir decorated his 58 sqm Tel Aviv apartment with antique Oriental artifacts.
- Zamir sees parallels between designing his home and building a yoga practice, emphasizing patience and history.
- His eclectic collection includes items from flea markets, auctions, and online sources.
- The apartment is described as an ancient-Oriental style, blending diverse cultural influences.
- Zamir views his home as a personal sanctuary and a constant vacation.
- He contrasts his collecting approach with hoarding, focusing on releasing and renewing items.
Almog Zamir, a 44-year-old yoga instructor, has transformed his 58-square-meter rented apartment in Tel Aviv into a unique living space filled with antique Oriental artifacts. Zamir, who has lived in the apartment for 2.5 years, describes his home's style as ancient-Oriental, blending items from Persia, India, Thailand, Europe, and Africa. He finds a strong connection between the process of building a yoga practice and designing his home, emphasizing patience, layering, and the infusion of history and soul into both.
Zamir is drawn to handmade objects with a history, believing that by incorporating them into his home, he gives them new life and weaves his own story into theirs. He likens creating an experience in a yoga class through body and breath to creating an experience at home through light, textures, objects, and stories. He views his home as a sanctuary and a constant vacation, contrasting his approach to collecting with hoarding, stating he is always releasing and renewing.
The apartment features a variety of collected items, including a reupholstered antique flea market bench, African masks, a hand-carved Damascus mirror, 19th-18th century portrait paintings found online, a Viennese sofa bought at auction, and chairs sourced from Facebook Marketplace. The former balcony has been converted into a dining area, furnished with chairs reupholstered in green velvet and a table covered by a repurposed rug. Every space in the home includes a mirror to enhance the sense of space and reflection.
The bedroom is defined by Chinese porcelain vases and layered kilim blankets. Zamir also displays his collection of white linens in an English display cabinet, viewing the changing of linens and making the bed as a ritual. The kitchen, though old, has been personalized with his touch, featuring an Alpine ibex taxidermy named Albert, which he sees as a connection to nature, and a European display cabinet filled with antique kitchenware.
Zamir previously lived in a smaller apartment in the same building for 14 years and sought a larger space in the same neighborhood. He was drawn to the old building's character, high ceilings, and open-plan layout, which still allowed for ample wall space for his art and objects. He emphasizes that his collecting is a personal passion, not driven by trends, and that his home brings him immediate relaxation.
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