Raising the Energy: Ayelet Levi Adani on the Power of Emotion in Design

When it comes to design, few things are as impactful as the emotions that are evoked through carefully crafted spaces. For Ayelet Levi Adani, an acclaimed interior designer based in Israel, the goal goes beyond aesthetics. Her mission is to bring about meaningful change in people’s lives through design that resonates with their emotional and functional needs. Ayelet’s unique approach combines innovation, precision, and a deep sense of responsibility for each project she undertakes, transforming spaces into places that uplift and inspire.

With a portfolio spanning private homes, luxury apartments, and commercial spaces, Ayelet has earned recognition for her attention to detail, use of cutting-edge technology, and unwavering dedication to her clients. She believes that design is not just about looks; it’s about improving the quality of life by understanding the personal stories of the people who will inhabit the space. Through competitions and challenges, she has continuously pushed the boundaries of creativity, showing that nothing is impossible with determination and passion.

Today, we are thrilled to get to know Ayelet Levi Adani better. We’ve put together a short questionnaire to delve deeper into her inspirations, philosophies, and what drives her to “raise the energy” in every project. Let’s explore the mind behind the designs!

1. What inspired you to pursue interior design as a career?

Ever since I can remember I have had an inexplicable desire to move furniture… Something in the eye would not go well with me and it would violate my peace. The change I “imposed” on my immediate environment was inevitable. Over the years I realized that something very true happens as soon as I make a change – it looks much better, it is much more practical, it brings joy to people and it makes me happy.

Despite the great fun that design gave me, it was only at the age of 36 that I decided to turn this field into a career. Until then I worked as a section manager in a bank, with a B.A. in economics and management and with dozens of courses in the financial field. Only after I got the management position at the bank (to which I aspired), I realized that I was wasting my time in a field that did not bring me happiness and satisfaction.

At this point I decided to change direction, when I was all overwhelmed with excitement, and enrolled in interior design studies.

This is how I realized my strength in planning and design, but the most important insight I realized is the wonderful connection of body and mind that the practice of design makes me.

While I’m busy designing a magical thing happens. I have no sense of time and all other needs (including food and sleep) are pushed aside. My whole being is present in the creative process, I feel alive, a great connection of body and mind is made and there is no better feeling than that.

2. Your work often blends emotion and functionality. How do you achieve that balance when planning a new space?

Before I start planning, I try to connect to the client’s dream image in my imagination. There I meet the elements that must be there to produce the feeling I want to make. These elements are my ‘big stones’ – the concept of the project, and from here I start planning when those elements are used as anchors.

3. You’ve participated in and won several design challenges. How have these experiences shaped your creative process?

At first, in those competitions, I experienced frustration because I was so limited, but as soon as I felt that I cracked the planning, I realized that the more restrictions there are, the greater the result and satisfaction. In fact, the restrictions and challenges in the project bring with them much more thinking, research, depth and creativity which promises a special and exciting project.

These experiences shaped my way of creating so that in every project I stretch my creativity to the limit and new heights. Invents something that not only didn’t exist before, but also combines interests that seemingly have no connection between them.

It’s the most fun to create such a space – that activates the head and the emotion at the same time.

4. What role does technology play in your design process, especially when it comes to visualizing a project before it’s completed?

Technology helps me bring my projects to a high level of presentation. Realistic imaging software such as Twinmotion, PROME AI and more, results in simulations that look completely realistic, which facilitate the communication process with the client. Once I show clients a visualization image, it is easy for the client to trust me that I have understood their wishes and it is also easy for them to speed up the process.

I try to be very aware of every technological innovation, examine it and understand how it can improve my work processes.

5. In your opinion, what sets your design studio apart from others in Israel or internationally?

I think my studio is different in thinking, in the level of precision and in the small details.

Each project is preceded by an intensive familiarization phase with the client and only after I have understood his mood, style, culture, hobbies and the triggers that activate him, only then does the planning phase begin. It is important to me to create a space that expresses the client’s unique personality and that will create a maximum sense of home for him.

In every project, attention is paid to the smallest details while the entire presentation and planning process is precise.

6. How do you see the future of interior design evolving, particularly in terms of integrating emotion and technology?

I think we are in an era where more and more people want to be connected to themselves, and less to do things to please the environment. People are starting to understand that a fake life (however beautiful it may be) is not the recipe for happiness. Happiness is within us and to experience it we need to acknowledge our feelings and be who we are.

Through my design I try to connect my clients with their selves by creating an aesthetic space for them that represents their personality and culture. Such a space makes them want to be themselves and be proud of their culture and past.

For me, the technology serves my purpose of creating a space that evokes emotions in that, through accurate simulations and presentation, an early connection is made between the client to the project, which brings enthusiasm and joy already in the early stages before any work has begun. The emotional connection created between the client and the project brings trust in the process and peace of mind.

I think that in the future this trend of connecting people to themselves will prevail and we will see less and less show-off designs (which represent people who want to look like something they are not).