When it comes to interior design, we often associate it as a luxury materialistic subject. And in essence it is. But there is always spirituality in everything.
As women, we are natural role models. We are the roots of the home. Kashrus is a major part of it. Tsniyus is another. How we design the kitchen, Pesach kitchen, succah roof, bathrooms and bedrooms creates the core of the Jewish home.
Think about it:
- Double sinks
- Double dishwashers
- Double ovens
- Double microwaves
- Milky and meaty sides (and often parev as well!)
- Extra LED lighting to check lettuce and vegetables
This picture depicts a typical kosher kitchen, with a double oven, two sinks, two dishwashers, etc.
Food Prep.
This is a cool set of cutting boards that indicates what each one is used for, avoiding multi-purpose usage. From Amazon for £24.
Preparing for Shabbos
Which candlesticks will we use and where will we place them?
See the image of modern candlesticks and tray by Etsy for £89.75.
Seforim and Art
Where do we put the seforim in the home? Do we hide them in an office or expose them in the dining room and lounge? What type of art do we display? Is it fancy abstract? Is it classic floral? Or is it Judaica art? Check out this image of contemporary Kotel art by Simone Greenberg.
We set the tone in everything we do. Conscious and subconsciously.
The way front door opens
Which direction? In bedrooms we place the hinges to create the maximum amount of space and allow for the most privacy possible. We incorporate, where possible, en-suite bathrooms for convenience (luxury) and for privacy/spiritual reasons (tsniyus).
The way we place the beds
The distances. The gaps. The floating bedside table vs. the freestanding one. The directions of the beds so they don’t face the door. Only a Jewish home understands the details we have to entail when designing, keeping these important points in mind.
The mezuzah on each door
We need to consider the height, the way we need to incorporate it within the design of the architraves and frames. The mezuzah is actually one of the most used accessories and is vital to each home. It can either be almost invisible, part of the door, or a feature.
Check out these beautiful cases from Amazon starting from £45
Bedside lamps
The traditional lamps are nice, but in today’s innovative world we have gorgeous kosher lamps available. There are new styles of wall lamps that are 100 percent permissible for Shabbos use (see image from Ventura lights at roughly $200 each).
Mirrors
In last year’s Pesach edition of the Uplift we spoke about how women used their power and influence to beautify themselves for their husbands in order to keep Am Yisrael alive. How? With mirrors. See how a simplistic mirror can be used for a higher purpose.
So, to summarise, we as women can utilise our materialistic home to the utmost spiritual heights when we use it in the right way. We watched our mothers. We watched our fathers. Our children watch us. And so the generation passes through. And they then take what they’ve learned with them into their own homes.
I’ll finish off with two pesukim:
“Kol Kevoda bas Meleck penima—All honour awaits the King’s daughter who is within [her home].”
“Ashrei yoshvei beisecha—Praiseworthy are those who sit in Your house.”
Warm wishes
iDesign Interiors
Chani Grunwald
Chani Grunwald is an interior designer. She and her staff are based in Hendon and undertake residential and commercial work throughout London.
We offer residential interior design, interior architecture, project management and furniture design services for private individuals and property developers.
Our interior design service helps people to live better through interior architecture that solves problems, anticipates their needs and creates a home that works for them. Our service is tailored to individual expectations. We take the fear and that overwhelming feeling that most clients experience when researching for their project, inspiring them with confidence that their project will be taken through from initial inspiration to a completely finished home.
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Chani Grunwald#molongui-disabled-link
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Chani Grunwald#molongui-disabled-link
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Chani Grunwald#molongui-disabled-link
