Photography: Amit Gosher
Spacious duplex with 230 square meters of floor space and a view of the Mediterranean Sea.
This time, our client isn’t intending to live in the flat but instead is using the home as an investment. He bought the property “on paper” and asked us to have a look.
The first question we asked was for whom the apartment was being designed? From the answer we received, we decided to invent/imagine the potential tenant.
The renter we dreamed up didn’t fit the original floorplan in any way.
It doesn’t make sense that in a luxury apartment like this, the kitchen would be a small corner and the children’s rooms would be too small to fit any furniture that made sense with a huge, round wall. There wouldn’t be any real place to put a bag and keys down at the entrance to the home. There was no decent place to watch television and the main bedroom would be squishy. The upper space, at least, was astounding, looking directly onto the family’s sitting area and with a stupendous view of the sea. We were not about to let all that go to waste.
So, that’s how we started the project. It was important to us to define the entrance, to create ceremonies (see the glossary) to understand where our imaginary family will live and how they will cook. Where will they hang out with friends, how will they entertain and where will they create intimate family situations? Who is the family that will live here? In short we needed to provide personal tailoring for the resident, who at this point is still unknown.
An additional issue that is difficult to address is that we still don’t know the family who will live here or which architectural language speaks to him. The special place of the project and its position helped us choose a unique palette of materials, an exposed concrete wall; dramatic sand-toned stone floor and elements of weathered iron facing a staircase made of dark wood.
An attempt to define “An Israeli Feel” of warm, glowing sun (the iron, stone and exposed concrete) alongside soft warmth that matches the Israeli personality (stairwell, parquet floors on the second floor, choice of light fixtures and furniture).
We were chosen to supervise the building of this project and as such, we were with it every step of the way. Starting from the coordination of all the different elements involved in building, budgeting and ordering materials, we have found that this is the best way to narrow the gap between plans and final reality.
Original plans, Upper level
Original plans, Lower level
Plans, Upper level
Plans, Lower level
Another fascinating issue with this project was the process of marketing it. Since the apartment is being sold “on paper” even before being built, we put together a booklet that was distributed to real estate agents in order to let potential buyers know about the quality potential of the apartment, the way we see it.
At the core of the apartment is an exposed, concrete wall housing a concealed, four-meter long, weathered iron chest. Exposed concrete and cast iron are elements that balance out the heavy, wooden staircase and luxurious stainless steel, giving the flat an Israeli feel of a barefoot walk on the beach while dressed in gorgeous clothing.
The staircase in the center of the apartment functions as an organizing element. It contains functions relating to each adjacent space: At the entrance, a place was planned to hang coats, lay mail and get organized in front of a mirror. In front of the dining room, storage was planned for utensils and in front of the viewing area, it contained audio and storage systems.
