A touch of romance

Decorated with bows, flowers and dresses, this colorful home is one woman's paradise.

By GLORIA DEUTSCH
drimer living room 88 29 (photo credit: Eyal Izhar)
drimer living room 88 29
(photo credit: Eyal Izhar)
Mika Drimer acknowledges that her house in Herzliya Pituah is very feminine. From the entrance doors shaped like a woman's body to the flowers and ribbons attached to chairs to the romantic drapes on all the windows, the house is an entirely appropriate background for her unique ceramic sculptures. "As far as I know, I'm the only person in the world who does these pieces," says Mika. Displayed all over the house are her "dresses" - little figurines consisting of nothing more than a very ornate dress in some undefined but past style. "They are not dolls," she emphasizes. "I'm inspired by the look of fabrics and clothes that belong in the past." The other striking thing one notices upon entering the house is the warmth and richness of the colors. Forget about safe and boring beige; this house is pale blue, pinky-mauve, banana-yellow and peach. "I live colors," says Mika. "For me no colors are forbidden and there are no laws about what colors to mix. You can create harmony with any combinations." It is not entirely surprising to learn that as well as working as an image-consultant, she once ran a business based on an idea which was very popular about 15 to 20 years ago - matching people up to the colors that most suited them. As an example of an unexpected color combination, she points to a wall just to the right of the entrance door which is painted lilac pink, while in front of it is a piece of furniture which is predominantly red. The long, thin living room has two totally different seating areas at opposite ends. To the left is the pale blue suite and a rag-rug in blue and white, while at the opposite end is what she feels is a less sophisticated, rustic area. "I like to sit at one end and look at the other, and because the room is so long and narrow I can easily mix the styles," she says. The blue side is the family room with a screen for a television which is artfully concealed behind a painting when not in use. Bows decorate the walls as well as a pink sunset painting. Large silk flower arrangements embellish the room. Mika tells me she chooses them for their colors rather than for botanical interest. In any case, the garden outside is clearly visible through the huge window, which is draped with a peach organza material. The curtains which hang around the dining room are even more clearly a dress fabric - a filmy, flower-patterned chiffon normally used for making an evening dress. The round table and chairs are in a color she describes as banana-green, while the chairs are upholstered in pink and green, plain and floral. The blinds can be pulled down to shut out the garden at night and match the vanilla-colored walls. The olive wood kitchen with its flowery rug has a panoramic view of the house and is literally at its center. Off the kitchen is a small half-moon seating bar covered in flowers and bows with display panels on either side. The multi-branched light fitting above it looked spider-like to Mika, but instead of changing it she prettified it with more flowers and ribbons. Halfway up the stairs, the small landing has been turned into a computer/study room, and up another half-flight is the master bedroom, opening onto a balcony with a view of the garden. The walls have been painstakingly decorated in a flower stencil design except for one wall which is all blue. A yellow, flowery cover is on the bed and there are three rugs - two cream sheepskins and a shaggy green - which match the wall background. A painting above the bed is also by Mika. Down in the basement is the studio with several of her pieces in different stages of development, and it is fascinating to see how the clay is worked to make her unique creations. For someone who came quite late to ceramics and studied it only for a year and a half, her creations, which can be seen all over the house, are remarkable. "I feel, as an artist, that I have total freedom and I don't have to worry about what people will say or their reaction," she says. "And the same goes for the house. It's beautiful and comfortable - for me." Do you feel you own one of Israel's most beautiful homes? Please e-mail gloriadeutsch@gmail.com.