At first glance, it looks like something out of a Barbie movie, an elaborate film set or an image generated by artificial intelligence. Kitchen cabinets painted in an assortment of pastel shades, unexpected color combinations and a dreamlike atmosphere that seems almost too playful to be real. But this rainbow-colored kitchen is very much real, and the woman behind it is every bit as colorful as her creation.
Gallery
Hadar Golan is responsible for the styling, art direction and sets in both her music videos and her home
(Photo: Amir Haroni)
Hadar Golan, a musician and rapper from Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, performs under the stage name Pappa Boy. She transformed her old, dark brown kitchen into a kaleidoscope of colors, then extended the makeover throughout her apartment, creating an entire world of her own design.
"I do most things myself," says Golan, an independent musician who also handles the styling, art direction and set design for her music videos. "I wanted to turn my home into a collection of locations where I could shoot my videos, so I designed it to reflect my style. I basically turned the whole apartment into a studio."
A look inside Golan's colorful home
(Video: Amir Haroni; Editing: Guy Golan)
Where color meets music
Long before music became her focus, fashion, color and aesthetics were central to Golan's creative identity. "I used to work in fashion and styling, particularly alternative fashion," she says. "I did artistic concept shoots and even designed some clothing. I love alternative fashion from around the world, especially Japanese fashion. I have a wardrobe full of pieces I've collected during my travels."
Her entry into music happened almost by accident. "I made a song as a joke, then fell in love with it and just kept going." That first experiment eventually led to her debut album and formal music studies at Israel's BPM music school. For the past five years, she has been working on another album, which she expects to release soon.
Her musical style is rap, or what she calls "gangsta rap," with a deliberate twist on the genre's traditional gender dynamics. "Hip-hop has always had a pretty misogynistic attitude, so I do exactly the same thing, only in reverse, like holding up a mirror," she explains. "I basically objectify men."
She is quick to point out that the character she has created is not necessarily intended as a feminist statement. "It's more like a wannabe tough guy, except I'm turning the tables on men."
In recent years, Golan has made guest appearances alongside other performers, but she now hopes to stage a full show of her own. "I don't feel particularly welcomed by the scene," she says. "It sometimes feels like the men are doing their own thing and aren't very accepting. But I think there's an audience for what I do."
Hadar Golan in front of her colorful kitchen. She says she has recently faced a wave of online abuse
(Photo: Amir Haroni)
She matched the paint colors to a pair of sneakers she owns
(Photo: Amir Haroni)
Pole acrobatics at home
Alongside music and design, Golan has spent about a decade practicing pole acrobatics, often referred to as pole dancing, as a hobby. For years, she shared videos of herself performing without attracting much criticism.
"I always used to upload videos of my pole acrobatics, and nobody said anything. I guess people understood that I was doing it as a sport." But the response has changed dramatically in recent months. "Suddenly, I started experiencing serious online bullying. Some posts reached hundreds of thousands of views because of all the abuse. People cursed at me and wished me dead just because I dance on a pole," she says sadly.
Did that make you consider stopping uploading the videos?
"It's unpleasant, but what am I supposed to do? I've been doing this for years. Am I suddenly going to stop doing something I love because of other people? No."
The same determination to express herself without seeking approval is evident throughout her apartment. The kitchen that has since become a social media attraction was once almost unrecognizable. "It was an old brown kitchen. It was really ugly. I absolutely hate brown. I couldn't stand it," Golan says.
Rather than replace the kitchen entirely, she decided to work with what she had. "I thought all those vintage details and decorative finishes could actually be really cute if they were colorful. So that's what I did."
The result exceeded even her own expectations. "Now I absolutely love my kitchen. I think even if it were brand new, it wouldn't look this good."
The colorful theme continues into the hallway and rooms
(Photo: Private album)
The pink room features a refrigerator she customized herself, inspired by Adidas
(Photo: Private album)
"I discovered that painting things is incredibly relaxing for me." Hadar Golan
(Photo: Private album)
The inspiration for the color palette did not come from an interior design magazine or Pinterest but from a pair of sneakers. "I had a pair of sneakers in exactly these colors. I literally took one of the shoes to the paint store and matched the shades to it. Most were pastels, with a brighter yellow mixed in."
She then tackled the entire project herself. "I went out and bought cans of oil-based paint and dismantled all the cabinets. I applied primer and painted everything in different shades."
The project took approximately two months. "At first, I thought it would be a nightmare, but I discovered that painting things is actually incredibly relaxing for me. And then, when I ran out of things to paint, I didn't know what to do with myself. I went crazy."
When she shared the finished kitchen in the popular Israeli Facebook group Mamatzchik, the post attracted more than 3,500 likes and 970 comments.
Golan in the pink room, with Hello Kitty making an appearance
(Photo: Guy Golan)
One of the home's colorful walls
(Photo: Private album)
A lamp adorned with cheerful yellow rubber ducks
(Photo: Private album)
Where does your creativity come from?
"I've had a background in art since I was a child. I started drawing when I was very young, and I also sculpted. I've always been interested in anything artistic. I really love taking old furniture and objects, restoring them and giving them my own twist."
Weren't you worried you might regret painting the kitchen?
"Actually, I didn't think about that at all. I tend to just do things without thinking too much."
The kitchen was only the beginning
What started as a kitchen makeover eventually became part of a much larger vision. Golan wanted an apartment where every room could serve as a different setting for the music videos she plans to release alongside her upcoming album.
"The idea is that the whole place is colorful, but then you enter a room and everything is one color," she explains. "The doors along the hallway are painted different colors, and behind each door, that color continues into the room."
The apartment now features a pink room with a matching vanity and furniture, a light blue home recording studio, a lilac bedroom and a bathroom painted bright yellow. In the living room, a yellow sofa sits beneath a large pink Hello Kitty curtain. The pink room also contains a refrigerator Golan customized herself, taking inspiration from Adidas.
Many of the decorative elements were originally created for individual video shoots. "A lot of things here happened in stages because every time I needed a set for a music video or a photo shoot, I'd make something, and then it would just stay."
Over time, Golan discovered that her kitchen had become something of a social media celebrity in its own right. "Every time I post it, especially in a Facebook group, it gets crazy exposure. The kitchen has really gone viral. I think there are even more photos of it than of me."
Visitors are often equally stunned. "When people walk in, they're usually in shock. I can't really explain it. It's a little different from the pictures because you're actually stepping into it. It's like being inside a dollhouse. It's strange."
What kind of responses do you get when you share your colorful home?
"Every time I post the kitchen, loads of people ask if I can do the same thing in their homes. But honestly, I'm not sure I'd want to spend two months working in someone else's house."
For Golan, the colorful interiors are more than attractive backdrops for videos. They have also changed the way she feels in her own home. "I'm really happy I did it. I wake up in the morning and see all these colors, and even if I'm not in the best mood, they give me an energy boost. It's fun. It creates an atmosphere."
That sense of fun extends to the apartment's quirky decorations, including a lamp adorned with yellow rubber ducks. "I chose things that make me laugh. I designed the apartment with things that lighten the mood, things that aren't serious, like the lamp with the yellow rubber ducks. They cheer me up. I hate it when everything in life is so serious."
She hopes others will feel encouraged to bring more personality into their own homes rather than follow conventional design rules. "I'm all for thinking outside the box and doing things that make you laugh," she says.
And she has one practical piece of advice for anyone tempted to try their own colorful makeover: "Make sure you put primer underneath, so the paint actually lasts."