The property: A private house in North Tel Aviv for a family of five (a pair of parents and their three teenage children)
Architecture and interior design: Sharon Weiser Architecture
Bedroom and dining room furniture: Oknin
Photography: Oded Smadar
The new house, located in one of the sought-after neighborhoods of northern Tel Aviv, was built on a plot of land with an area of approximately 550 square meters: "The family members lived in the neighborhood and aspired to upgrade to a larger and more spacious house," according to the architect Sharon Weiser, whose office Amon is responsible for the architectural planning and interior design "Their request was to produce a house in a classic American style - both at the level of the shell and in the interior design, with a combination of more modern spaces. Meanwhile, this is a family that often hosts and the owner of the house is a good cook, so we put special emphasis on the hospitality spaces and in particular on the kitchen, which is an important and central axis."
The 4-story building was designed by Wieser in the shape of the letter R: "This position allows for an excellent view of the garden and the large pool that was planned along the back front of the lot," she explains. We chose mosaic tiles in specific shades so that when combined with natural sunlight, they will give the water a turquoise shade that is also visible from the inside. The facades were designed in a classic American style, with cornices and cutouts and windows with perimeter frames around them." From the entrance gate to the lot you can see walking paths that converge towards the outer entrance hall and are accompanied by an ornamental pool. The black front door is particularly large and impressive and also fits the style. Upon opening it, the open public space and in particular the kitchen will be revealed, The living room, the dining area and an elliptical-sculptural staircase that is visible from every corner of the house and leads all the way from the basement floor to the attic floor.
"On the ground floor, a wardrobe closet, guest services and the father's home office were also planned," says the architect. "The living room space was designed as a double space in double volume with a tall and impressive library with a drinks bar, a fireplace and the TV screen. Next to the living room is the dining area that they created for us at Oknin', which consists of a table made of a natural wooden surface and thin metal legs that correspond with the legs of the surrounding chairs, for which we chose a seat and a leather backrest". "As mentioned, the kitchen is the heart of the house and was designed as a functional and especially large space that faithfully serves the mother who cooks and everything revolves around it. In the center of it is an island above which special glass lampshades are hung at different heights and there is also an elevator hidden between the kitchen cabinets that reaches all floors."
"Through the large openings and showcases, we can see the backyard where an outdoor kitchen, lounge and dining areas were designed and the impressive infinity pool, next to which there is a fire table that looks in its direction. At the bottom of the pool, we integrated high bar stools that also allow those staying there to enjoy the fire table and the seating group in the seating system that stands at the same time - this is how it was created A sort of H-shaped seating area that hugs the pool. The surrounding vegetation creates a green and lively silhouette that is also well-viewed from the inside of the house." On the lower level, Weiser planned a central play space with a kitchenette next to it, as well as the bedroom and the bedroom suites for the two older children, which were designed in a classic country style: "For each of them I created an exit to a private English courtyard that serves as a courtyard for all purposes and is an intimate and quiet corner for the teenagers ", she explains. "Furthermore, on the living floor located above the entrance floor, the couple's pampering master bedroom, which is rectangular in shape, was designed. It includes a spacious sleeping area for which, as in the children's suite, we chose furniture details from Oknin that add character, warmth and interest."
"The sleeping area is open to the closet which was designed in a modern style and on the other side of the space there is a showcase that serves as an exit to the balcony where we integrated a sitting area. Also in the master, a small office through which you reach the bathroom for which we chose a mosaic floor. It is equipped with a free standing bathtub, bathtub cabinets with sinks for him and her and a shower Large and luxurious, including a sitting bench." In the attic, which has a ceiling with exposed sloping wooden beams, the little daughter's suite and the family gym were planned: "In the daughter's large room we planned a work area with her library and a bathroom for her nearby. The gym is also particularly large so that if the family is a yoga lover, she can spread out a mattress in the center and exercise ". Weiser says.
The materiality chosen by the architect is characterized by combinations of light and warm tones: "Except for the gym and the wet spaces, all the floors in the beach house are parquet: For the entrance floor we chose a particularly impressive parquet composed of 30 cm wide and 5 meter long cores that greatly help in creating the open and continuous look. For the bathrooms we chose stone mosaic floors and covered the walls with white building tiles. For the gym and the son's suite, a different palette of colors was chosen - darker and more dominant, which gives these areas a slightly more masculine look." "The decorative lighting consists mostly of interesting and unexpected fixtures, and all the carpentry was created for us by a master carpenter, in a rustic style. They are decorated with frames and painted in the oven in several shades - from light, through greenish, to dark and in them we combined motifs from natural wood and brass."