Readers of this blog know I’m not a big fan of our suburban apartment in Jerusalem. But as we’ll be here for three years, I’ve got to make the best of it. And making the best of it for me is transforming our apartment into a space in which I want to hang out in, cook in, work in, sleep in, and have raucous dinner parties in. And I’m happy to say: I’ve enjoyed doing all of those things here!
Five months after arriving and lots of paint, a few purchases (including The Most Beautiful Sofa in the World), arranging and rearranging, and heavy consulting of Emily Henderson’s excellent book Styled, the interior of our little apartment does bring a smile to my face when I walk in. It’s cheerful, lively, and colorful, which is a nice antidote to living in a city which I haven’t found to be any of those things.
I especially like our kitchen. Sure, it’s dark, and oddly-shaped, but after painting a few walls slate grey, adhering stick-on tiles to the dreary backsplash, and filling a copper circle shelf with some oddities, I had myself a masculine Brooklyn vibe that I really dig. (Also: this is the first time I’ve ever had a gas stove, and I loooove it).
And for any Foreign Service readers who may be wondering where the heck all the dark wood Drexel is, you will spot a few pieces (okay, just one). We’re lucky enough to get to bring all of our own stuff to our posts.
So there you have it. It’s definitely a vast improvement on how it looked when we arrived. But, I’d be lying if I said I don’t often think about our huge Madrid apartment and its superb locale. If you want to check out photos of that space: Here are the links.
To creating a beautiful space,
Em in Jerusalem
The Next Dinner Party 
I love love love your metro maps, where did you find those?
I love them too! I bought a few on Fab.com, and a few from a poster stand in NYC, but looks like you can buy them here: http://www.allposters.com/-st/LinePosters-Posters_c259202_.htm
Lovely !