The creation of two dividable public areas was the foundation of planning this family apartment in central Tel Aviv. The apartment was extended and lengthened, with a large space connecting between the existing and new spaces creating a new large public area in the apartment. The apartment size is 165sqm.
On the street side of the apartment there is a large lounge that is connected to other public functions; the kitchen, terrace, dining and a reading area. An additional family room acts as a children's area including a library and work space. This area forms a junction leading to all children's bedrooms.
A long corridor which connects the two lounges is left exposed on the one side with exposed bricks and on the other with the original concrete of the building. The corridor functions as an axis between all bedrooms and washrooms.
Down the hall, a large wooden door with hidden hinges and acoustic system, allows separation between the two parts of the house, so that the two lounges can be used in parallel without interfering with one another.
All carpentry was custom designed and made to fit the requirements of the family and hidden within many storage areas customized specifically according to their use. The black wood cladding in the living room conceals the media system which continues around the corner as a large storage unit for the entrance. The yellow wooden bench facing the street serves as a library for the family's record collection. The kitchens service unit dividing between the kitchen and the dining space, on one side holds a pantry and many appliances, while on the other side acts as a shelving unit.
Various flooring types, ceiling shelves, painted walls and different materials, allow the division of the public areas according to need without blocking views with a wall or divider. Delicate profiles such as black iron and aluminum separate between materials allowing them to exist side by side harmoniously.
Light fixtures line the length of the corridor emphasizing the movement through the apartment and changes in color and finishing materials of the fixtures produce a rich and varying pace.
To maximize light in private spaces transparent facades were used such as steel doors combined with glass, partitions with upper windows and painting with a glossy finish.
Credits:
RUST ARCHITECTS
www.rustarch.com
Design team:
Architect Raanan Stern
Architect Shany Tal
Photos by Gidon Levin