When one talks about young Israeli design, one thinks not only about innovation and improvisation but also about materials that are inexpensive and that find expression for the most part in small items of furniture that are popularly priced. Molekula, a new store that recently opened on Jaffa's Yehuda Hayamit Street,is an exception. Spread out across 200 square meters it offers sofas, bookcases, armchairs, beds, lamps and other items whose prices climb as high as NIS 40,000.
That's not the only thing that sets this store apart. While Israeli design usually tends to have daring colors, materials and overall aesthetics, at Molekula the items, at least at first glance, seem to be more conservative. Brown, gray, white, cream and beige abound. However, technologically-speaking, some of the items definitely display innovative design.
At first, the store appeared to be a younger and somewhat cheaper version of the well known Kastiel furniture store. A glance at the owner's curriculum vitae explains this. Orly Karniel indeed worked for 10 years at Kastiel where her taste was formed and where she crystallized her concept of the Israeli market.
A love storyThe 34-year-old Karniel grew up in the United States until the age of 16 when she came to Israel. In her fourth year at the Askola college of art and design where she studied interior decorating, her father died and she decided to begin working. "I asked myself who the best [designer] was on the market, and I went to Kastiel," she says. "I met Moshe [Kastiel] and there the love story began. Over the years, I had a number of positions there - import and export, graphic design, sales. But what I enjoyed most was dealing with clients in connection with design. I also fell in love with designing a product rather than interior decorating. I enjoyed the carpentry, the variety of materials and the tension created between them. This gave me a great deal of inspiration."
About a year ago, Karniel left Kastiel. "I wanted to be independent but I did not yet think of opening my own store. At Kastiel I was also responsible for choosing the art works shown in the space and I had the opportunity to meet numerous creators, artists, sculptors and product designers. I wanted to continue to give this expression. So that was the direction I eventually chose. I advertised on the Internet that I was looking for product designers. A huge number of emails started streaming in and I knew this was the right direction, that there was demand for this and that it was missing."
Today about 10 designers are on display in her store including Yair Hen, Lidor Yaish and Maya Rodan from "Studio Helek" as well as Itamar Burstein, Asaf Weinbroom, Alon Karniel, Tomer Malcha and Netta Shalgi. One can also find items that were designed and produced by Karniel herself together with various artisans, some of them from the neighborhood. "I chose the designers according to my own personal taste and according to what I think can be commercially viable. Of course, it was also important to me that there was a good connection with the designer."
"The items in the store cannot be found anywhere else," notes Karniel, who gives the designers royalties for every sale and pays for the production and work of the artisans.
She hopes to add as many additional designers as possible. "The store has just opened and I am already getting requests for new collections. Since we are talking about very limited series, I hope there will be a quick turnover of the collections out of a desire to innovate. Since this is a relatively small place for a furniture store, one has to be sure to keep changing. In any case, the items of furniture can be adapted to the buyer's personal need."
Karniel defends the high end pricing of the items. "I think there is a demand for this in Israel. Today one sees almost the same things in many stores. I thought it would be possible to offer good quality like there is abroad or at Kastiel but with a slightly more eclectic approach that gives the stage to young designers. I hope the public will find the final product interesting.
"In any case, the idea is that one does not have to buy an entire collection. Every item is unique and people don't have to furnish their entire home in one go." As for the name, Molekula, Karniel says:"I consider every designer a molecule and they all come together to create the spirit of the store - designed in blue and white."
