It’s finally here: The day when I feel happy enough about the state of our apartment to take pictures and share them with you all!
When we first arrived to Jerusalem (almost two years ago to the day), I was in tears when I saw our drab apartment out in the West Jerusalem suburbs, but we did manage to make it kind of cute and cozy. But about a year-and-a-half after living there, we were lucky enough to get to move to a brand spanking new sleek and shiny building in in East Jerusalem.
I wouldn’t say this apartment is my style: It’s all white everything, gleaming windows, and almost space-age in design, but living in a super modern and clean space definitely has some perks (like it feels really clean and is rather calming). And the view from the epic windows is, well, equally epic. Watching the nightly orange and pink sunsets over the Jerusalem skyline makes this place feel like a real thrumming city.
It has been a challenge to make such a wide open and white (did I mention how white this place is?!) space homey, but after setting up our favorite pieces — like the rustic wood dining table we bought in Madrid, and the most beautiful sofa in the world we bought in Tel Aviv — along with a few more shipments of furniture and accessories from the states, it is approaching cozy and it bring me joy every time I walk through the door. I’ve mostly resisted the urge to cover up all that white by reminding myself that if you’re some place less than a year, it’s probably not worth the cost and elbow grease to paint (and then repaint). Also, I’m trying embrace the simple beauty of Jerusalem’s near perpetual sun shining in on white floors and white walls.
Anyways, here’s what we’ve done so far:
To the modern city apartment,
Em in Jerusalem
The Next Dinner Party 
You have a gorgeous apartment and beautifully decorated. Thank you for sharing. I am fascinated because this living arrangement is so different from what I experienced. You see my dad was an FSO assigned to Tel Aviv, and as a teenager we lived in Herzlyah Pituach in a house built and furnished by the Embassy. It was a very sterile environment and a little strange to go to visit friends who had the exact same house and furniture! I wonder if those houses are still there. They were built in about 1966.
Lots of Embassy folks do live in Herzliya – I wonder if the same houses are still there. It is the norm for FSOs to have government furnished homes. We definitely experience the same thing: Visiting friends (who live all other the world) with the exact same furniture. Most posts you don’t need to bring your own stuff – they’ll be furnished with lots of beige and dark brown furniture. But that doesn’t appeal to me, so we always bring our own stuff!