Let There Be Light! (and Make it Designer, Baby)

Spend your summer vacation in Israel and you might come back with a suntan's natural glow. But winter days are short, so if you're looking to prolong the illumination you might want to pop into Ilan Malka Designer Lighting in Tel Aviv's uber-trendy Florentine District. Ilan's groovy boutique is located at 133 Nahalat Binaymin Street, which is about a 15-minute walk south from Rothschild Boulevard.

Ilan's lighting fixtures are captivating and original, handmade with fine metallic ornamentation, and come with a soupçon of the space-age (check out the photos at right and below).

Some of his creations are small enough to slip into your suitcase, but for larger items, he's happy to ship. Tel. 972-3-5184620 or find him on facebook.

Florentine is compact and chock-a-block with fantastic design shops, in fact block for block you will find more notable stores than in New York's vaunted Bowery district. Ladies and gentleman, start your redecorating!

And for restaurants, check out the nearby neighborhood of Kerem HaTeimanim.