Asala Yousef, an Israeli singer of Druze background, loves to host guests. But she does not always know in advance which of the five living rooms in her home will be used for the next meal. “I see what feels right and flows for me that day, and then I organize accordingly,” says Yousef, who serves as a judge on the singing reality show broadcast on Makan 33.
Yousef, nearly 40, lives in Daliyat al-Karmel. She is married to businessman Hamoudi Moadi, and together they have four children between the ages of 11 and 17.5. “I was already singing when I was six,” she recalls. “I have always loved anything connected to art, and that is how I grew up and developed. But only after I got married did I discover other sides of myself that I did not know as a single woman.”
She says that after marriage, a passion for beautiful homes, interior design and decorative objects emerged. “For 10 years I did not sing at all and focused only on the house, mainly cooking, which is a very strong side of me,” she says.
The singer Asala Yousef cooks, sings and hosts in her kitchen
(Video: Makan 33)
That passion is reflected on social media. Nearly 100,000 people follow her cooking-focused Instagram account, in addition to her singer’s account, which has nearly a million followers. “Cleaning and order, and also design, are part of my life alongside singing,” she adds. “I have always loved unconventional accessories and designs, special engravings, bold colors, art. I think my love for this field is a connection between emotion and my personality. It is an inseparable part of who I am, and my home reflects my heart.”
Renovating every year
Yousef’s love for luxury and decorative richness is evident throughout the house. “Antique things that remind me of the past,” she says. “I have lived in the same house since I married Hamoudi, but I love a lot of changes and for everything to be special and dynamic. I do not remember a single year passing without renovating the house. Every year I have to do a project. It is essential for me.”
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Loves frequent changes. One of the living spaces in the home, with the crown at its center
(Photo: Doron Cohen)
The expansive family home includes a ground floor and an additional level above it. On the ground floor is a huge kitchen, fitting for someone who spends so much time there, including a concealed pantry. Four living rooms are also located on this level, each different in style but connected by Yousef’s personal design language. On the second floor is another living room, the fifth in total.
“Just recently I gave away a living room set,” she says. “It was an antique piece and I could have waited for its value to keep rising, but I let it go. I did not like its color. It was too gold for my taste. When I want a change, nothing will stop me.”
Does the house function like a museum?
“No. I am obsessed with cleanliness and order, but I give the children freedom to do whatever they want and do not limit them,” she says. “On the second floor, where their rooms are, there is another living room that serves them. I created it so there would not be a disconnect between the formal living room and the family’s private spaces. When it is on the same floor, it is a completely different world.”
There is also an additional living room in a guest unit attached to the house, where the children usually host their friends. The couple’s bedroom is also located on the same floor as the children’s rooms, allowing the guest unit to provide more quiet. The master bedroom is very spacious, and Yousef designed the distinctive feature wall herself.
“In fact, everything in this house, from A to Z, I planned, I chose and I built,” she says. “There was no involvement from any designer or architect. Anything vintage that crosses my path finds its way into my home. The more artistic, the heavier, the better.”
‘It’s a kind of therapy’
When asked whether frequent renovations mean replacing everything, Yousef laughs. “I love every object in my house, and if something starts to tire me a bit, I take it out. That makes me happy. It releases something. It is a kind of therapy.”
Asked about the materials used in the home, she laughs again, slightly embarrassed. “Everything that was planned and brought into the house was done according to my taste and my heart,” she says. “I am not a professional designer who can name types of materials. I am constantly scrolling through websites and Instagram, looking for special furniture stores, antiques, browsing Pinterest for inspiration, traveling, going to flea markets and collecting what I love.”
She lists fireplaces, Pakistani rugs, artwork, vintage items and rich, palace-like colors. “When I see a modern, spacious house, it looks boring and sad to me. I love crazy density, lots of color, velvet, heavy fabrics. I do not like delicacy,” she says. “The only thing I recently replaced was the velvet curtains, which I swapped for sheer chiffon. All the adjustments I make are ‘by eye,’ to see if they work harmoniously, and I will always prefer unconventional objects.”
One of her prized possessions is a piano she bought at an antique store. “It is 150 years old,” she says. “I am always searching for that rare style and will go anywhere necessary to find it.”
Does her husband like it?
“He goes completely with the flow,” she says. “He sees that I love it and he loves searching for special items himself. He has a unique taste. I even send him to find things for me. For example, the giant crown in one of the living rooms, he found it one day and brought it home.”
One of the living rooms in the house
(Video: Doron Cohen)
‘Housework is a blessing’
Yousef is far from bored. When she is not renovating, collecting items for her home or cooking, she is once again immersed in music. In the past, she released nine successful albums, has millions of views on YouTube and a large fan base in Israel and abroad.
These days she is in the midst of a kind of comeback, serving as a mentor on “Al-Maik Ilak,” an original music reality show aimed at Arab society in Israel, broadcast on Makan, the Arabic-language channel of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation. She says the show brought her back to the screen after several years away from the stage.
With her return, she has gained wide exposure, in no small part thanks to the program, which resembles “Rising Star” and has broken viewing records in Arab society, reaching about 11 percent ratings already at the performance stage. She is also known to the wider public for the hit “Queen of Hearts,” written for her by Yossi Gispan and Adi Leon, and for the duet with Kobi Peretz, “If You’re Single, If You’re Free.”
With such an intense career, how does she juggle work, motherhood and investing so much in the home?
“I do not take outside help, and in my view, when there are many household tasks, it is a blessing,” she says. “I feel I have to do everything in the best possible way, to be the most invested mother, the best singer. I am a perfectionist. I have lists for everything. I write down what I need to do and prepare, and everything is planned in advance. You should see my spice drawer.”
She adds that she is fortunate to have “a good partner who complements me,” and notes that she often performs at night and returns home late, which allows her to stay in bed a bit longer in the morning while her husband takes the children to school.
And on top of all that, she still hosts guests.
“I love hosting more than anything, but I do not like being a guest,” she says. “I bring everyone to my home. It makes me much happier.”