Israeli designer Orna Lalo ponders for a bit before declaring that her favorite color is red.

"It makes me happy," she says, adding quickly - as if not to offend the others in the spectrum - "I don't discriminate against any of the colors. I do love red but it depends on the time of the year."

She’s incorporated it all in Four Seasons, her latest collection of designer treasures that includes Lalo’s signature happy, fun and colorful jewelry, home accessories, Judaica and key rings. With a faithful following of customers around the globe, Lalo is constantly updating her already brimming treasure chest of goodies.

The inspiration for her newest works comes from Antonio Vivaldi's concerto and the Greek mythological story of Demeter. "The new collection is built like Vivaldi's concert. There are four groups and each one has its own color," says Lalo. "The inspiration comes from Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, and her daughter Persephone. All the time Persephone was missing, Demeter refused to cultivate the soil and only after she returned did the goddess again restore the fertility of the earth. This is how fall and winter come to be, and how spring and summer return. The four seasons of the year."

 

Her new pieces are as imaginative as her previous creations. Color abounds. The flower theme is still prominent. And her pieces still exude optimism.

 

In addition to her unique designs, Lalo has made a name for herself in her use of recycled resins. She started playing around with this material while a fashion and art student at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. Because Israel is a small country and not all fabrics and materials are accessible here, designers are forced to create what they need.

‘Israeliness’ in her creations

When Lalo began her professional career in 1990, her creations were an instant hit. Today her designs are also sold in the United States, Japan, Bulgaria, China, Macedonia, Poland and Australia.

 

She says her “Israeliness” can be seen in her work. "It's difficult to explain, but our attitude, our mix of cultures, our audacity is all found in my creations," says Lalo, who has been in the business for over 20 years. "I grew up here. My idioms, my language, the way I work – it all makes me Israeli. When I was younger I thought I could live anywhere. Today, you can't separate me from where I'm from. I'm proud that I'm from Israel and not from somewhere else. I'm proud of my Israeliness."

 

Lalo Treasures, as her product line is known, is a fair-trade company.

 

The mother of two teenagers divides her time between her home in Israel, where she sets the creative process in motion, and her factory in Bulgaria. Though she has Bulgarian origins, Lalo says it was by coincidence that she set up a factory there in 1999. The "high standard of workmanship" and the people keep her there. "We were drawn to the honest, simple life, to the love of nature and to the traditions and perhaps there was an element of connecting to one's roots," she writes on her website.

 

Indeed, her pieces evoke joy and hopefulness. Color plays a major role for Lalo. "I always think about the person who will be using my products. I want my colorful creations to smile at you and make you feel good," she says.

 

 

The flower theme running through her designs is hard to miss. "My mother had a flower store and though I couldn't stand the store, the flower motif stuck," says Lalo. "I understood I have flowers in me. I have an extreme passion for flowers. Just like I have an obsession with shoes, I have an obsession for flowers. Every woman will understand me."

 

And while every work is intricately designed, a little-known fact about Lalo is that she can't discern details. "I can't see little details. It's absurd, but somehow I can design," she says. "I see patterns and that helps me."

 

Lalo began in jewelry but has since expanded to home accessories, general accessories, Judaica, Christmas baubles and key chains. "I love designing it all," she says. "The idea is what matters -- the thought behind something. I don't prefer jewelry or home accessories. I do what the market demands but also what interests me."