Visiting Jerusalem is always an adventure as you never really know where you will end up while wandering and wondering around. There are so many corners and narrow streets which lead to various mysterious and exciting parts of the city.
This is how I discovered Villa Brown Boutique Hotel and believe me, I wasn’t expecting to bump into such an original mixture of styles in one building! But while thinking of it, I realize that it beautifully reflects the city diversity by using uncommon, unexpected and various interior design streams.
Not one spot in the premises seemed to have any relation with the others and yet I felt there was a thin line that connected all of them and led to one big amazing whole called: history and tradition!
I felt that Galit Shifman Bar-Natan and Michal Cohen Magen, the two hotel designers, unconditionally love and care about the Eternal City, as the elements they used and added to the edifice were so typically and charmingly Jerusalemite.
It was as if they wanted to create an atmosphere that would tell a story; the story of a city that was built centuries ago, was conquered, loved and battled for since the dawn of time.
The arches, which can be found all over the place, will carry you to the Crusades, the building will remind you of Istanbul’s beautiful architectural gems and you will come across true oriental beauty, classy and colorful designed furniture. Stunning velvet curtains will invite to grace and glamor that shows up in stunning palaces and castles throughout Europe.
But this is not all; you will also find these materials on the connecting line between the past and present frames of the hotel which are the splendid pictures taken by Shani Scarlett Kagan of Israeli pop singer, Ivri Lider, and the amazing actress, Lia Koenig.
The photographs are hanging in the lobby and catch everyone’s eye when entering the premises. They emphasize our link to the past but at the same show the innovations occurring in our society; that today’s new kings and queens don’t have to be part of a monarchy but can be people who brought awareness and impressive changes to our surroundings.
You can read about their achievements, efforts, and performances in the adjacent trendy library which will, thanks to its amazing selection, enable you to pick a book, choose a seat in the lobby or on the peaceful terrace and dream about your own personal earthly paradise.
I love hotels with a vision, a story and a message as they will usually unveil more of their enigmatic and hidden secrets during the visit and will slowly but surely uncover the depth of their City of Gold.
This palazzino, which has the grandeur d’âme of a palace, is much more than a hotel and turns this villa at the crossroads of Jerusalem into an absolute must!
J’aime particulièrement ce coin de lecture.
Je t’amènerai le visiter… 🙂