Marine-inspired tables and other furniture by Ayala Serfaty November 24
Looking at the charming and whimsical marine-inspired furniture created by Israeli designer Ayala Serfaty brings to mind the lyrics of the Beatles song, “Octopus’s Garden”:
I’d like to be under the sea
In an octopus’s garden in the shade…
Well, restaurant-goers in Israel can’t really have their meals in an octopus’s garden, but they probably have the next best thing. A unique dining experience has been provided for them by Serfaty through her designs for modern bar tables, restaurant tables, and chairs, and lighting fixtures for The Red Sea Star.
This establishment is situated in what’s been called the “Riviera of the Red Sea.” It is an underwater restaurant, bar and observatory – the only one of its kind in the world. It is located seventy meters, twenty feet below sea level, off the shore of Eilat in Israel.
With its reputation as a unique dining destination to live up to, the owners called on Serfaty to design its interior, and it seems they made a wise choice since apart from her love of all things oceanic, her designs have won acclaim worldwide. Serfaty chose warm colors like red, yellow and orange for the restaurant’s furnishings to offset and complement the blues and greens of the sea. Diners eat on coral-shaped tables and sit on jellyfish-shaped chairs as gaze at the real things just outside their windows, though a few may have been startled at the sight of the restaurant’s divers occasionally peeking in the windows.
Two of the tables used at the Red Sea Star’s restaurant and bar are the Margarita table and the Margarita bar table. These tables have a polished aluminum leg, and the wooden table top is finished with sawdust and epoxy.
Serfaty is the co-founder and head designer of the Israeli agency Aqua Creations, a testament to how the sea and its inhabitants have and continue to influence her designs. There are several other tables in her furniture collection, including the Sea Urchin coffee table, the Fossil table, the Fossil D table, the Moss table, the Still Waters Run Deep table, and the Turtle table, which is made of natural slate and polished metal.
Romantic and unusual, Serfaty’s restaurant furniture is sure to bring a taste of the sea to any dining environment, even if the customers don’t order seafood!
