Design Concept in Tel Aviv

This apartment is located in a historical building in the center of Tel Aviv, very close to Rothschild Avenue and to Tel Aviv's business center.

The building houses 4 apartments, each one taking up a single story. The building was built by the parents of former Knesset member Luba Eliav, and they added another story for each child born to the family. Thus, the building was erected in "layers", starting in the 1920s.

The concept that guided me in the design of this apartment began with the assumption that whoever chooses to live there would presumably be businessmen from the hi-tech and capital market industries or attorneys - those who follow the trend of city center dwellers. They live abroad intermittently or spend long stretches overseas and they require the height of pampering along with the comfort of Tel Aviv's ultimate city center. However, despite their being in the Middle East, they are not prepared to relinquish the good life they are accustomed to in large cities in Europe, the United States and even the Far East. Another guideline I followed in the design of this apartment was that the contemporary, luxurious design must combine the practical aspects of living in a business environment - in other words, a functional concept affording maximum availability and usability of the facilities without detracting from their beauty.

My many travels worldwide during the course of my training - but mainly for business - taught me that a businessman who lives in the synthetic business environment of glass-paneled high-rises all day long, yearns - during his leisure time after work hours - for a place that will offer him maximum comfort even if the size of the apartment does not lend itself to ostentation or spacious living.
Thus, I designed a bathroom somewhat reminiscent of ancient Roman baths (gray stone, pebbles, mosaics), leaving a sense of wide open space, and lending it an undefined three-dimensional appearance....
I asked myself what are the minute details that make day-to-day living in a home special... What does a gourmet kitchen require? What are the drinking habits of connoisseurs? That is how a super functional kitchen - complete with a wine bar, an espresso machine and an interactive buffet where diners take part in preparing the meals - came into being.... The apartment's d?cor is complemented by a huge window overlooking the tops of two Cyprus trees. The 4-meter high windows plunge the apartment into a green environment that somewhat offsets the synthetic character of the high rises.
In order to lend a natural air to the business environment where the apartment is located, I adopted hi-tech motifs (metallic windows and front door, generous use of glass, cabinets with the appearance of a synthetic screen wall, use of black and white. Yet, I insisted on the simultaneous use of design motifs reminiscent of times gone by... antique furniture... warm colors... mosaics.

Another core aspect of the design considerations was the use of ceiling shades in order to create the impression of high and low and highlight the play between real and simulated beams (the high ceiling gives it a historical air while ceilings currently built in Israel are a maximum of 1.80 meters in height). Thus I created an optical effect and also made use of these ducts for air conditioning and lighting purposes.

Since the apartment is designed for a total area of 137 sq. meters, I built a model of suite rooms equipped with a luxury bathroom for each bedroom granting maximum privacy for home owners along with maximal acoustic insulation for each room, both from the outside and from the inside.

The apartment's design also features huge modern art paintings, which give a special touch to this charming apartment that bridges between the old and the new...

All of the woodwork was designed as part of the overall concept of this quintessentially Israeli apartment and is the creation of the excellent carpenters working with our firm.

On the one hand, the materials I selected remind me of nature and natural elements - pebbles... unpolished parquet floors (implied New York loft-style)... the original silicate bricks that were uncovered and painted glossy white... the upper sinks reminiscent of the Turkish hamam and Roman baths (combining contemporary motifs of taps coming straight out of the wall)... the iron girders added to the apartment which became a design element reminiscent of industrial halls (London, Berlin)... the recurrent use of hi-tech elements apparent in the choice of taps... the generous use of metal and stainless steel, the Corian surface in the kitchen and an industrial-style tap against the backdrop of stone laid down according to a building style once again reminiscent of the "natural" environment in which the apartment is located. The television corner is built into a red niche accommodating the plasma screen...
The lit glass cabinets fit into the retro style of the red lights with the metallic spotlights...
The cabinet doors are painted glossy white or black...

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