The duplex designed by Maayan Rahav, a graduate of Barbara Berzin's School of Interior Design, covers an area of 160 square meters. The duplex is part of an old building in Hod Hasharon belonging to a couple in their 40s who have three children. After a decade of living in the apartment, the two chose to carry out a massive renovation of the space.
The purpose of the renovation was to ventilate the space in the house, open the interior partitions and create a different division: the kitchen, which was closed in an opening room, and the bedroom, which originally had a diagonal entrance and created a long narrow corridor at the entrance to the apartment, was completely destroyed and redesigned, as was the public space. The two existing bedrooms remained intact, and each had a new bathroom space designed. The roof floor was approved for enlargement, where the adolescents' bedrooms and an additional bathroom were placed. The roof was designed as a common recreation area for all members of the household.
The space before renovation // Photo: Aviv Kurt
The space after renovation // Photo: Aviv Kurt
Color palette and materials
Nature, greenery and diverse textures were part of the project's agenda. Green, with its different tones, is the couple's favorite color, so it is interwoven in different places in the space, alongside natural oak in the kitchen, and colors that emerged from the entrance rug made of rope in a natural shade, from the stairs covered with oak-like tiles, a light fixture in a natural oak shade and other natural touches.
The shade of green runs like a thread between the spaces, photo: Aviv Kurt
entrance
Originally, the entrance to the house met those entering with an old-fashioned-looking staircase. The desire to make the entrance to the house spacious and inviting, led to a change in the direction of opening the front door so that it would be possible to enter the space of the house and see a spacious public space. Storage solutions that include hanging, placing shoes and bags, as well as the dog's food, made it possible to keep the foyer neat and organized. A bright green carpentry unit allows concealment of the electrical and communication cabinet, and is a storage place for various cleaning products, a vacuum cleaner and additional space for storing unused bedding and seasonal clothing.
A bright green carpentry unit enables concealment of the electrical cabinet and creates storage solutions, photo: Aviv Kurt
Stairs
To the right of the entrance is a staircase connecting the ground floor to the roof floor. The stairs were covered with wood-like tiles with brass-colored thresholds. The wall accompanying the stairs was designed without a panel in order to create a uniform and clean look, and lighting was placed that emphasizes the stairway on the way up and down. The staircase railing was changed to a standard matte black railing identical to the new aluminum in the apartment, and in rounded and flowing shapes. The six-meter-high staircase wall is covered with bamboo forest wallpaper that creates a relaxing spa feeling and is a powerful wall of power.
The stairs during renovation // Photo: Aviv Kurt
The stairs after renovation // Photo: Aviv Kurt
Kitchen
The kitchen was designed as two parallel parts, on two parallel axes, with facades in the appearance of cracked oak. The mother of the family cooks for the children every day and at the same time talks to them, so a comfortable cooking station has been designed alongside seating that allows for interaction.
For fruits and vegetables, dedicated drawers with a ventilated front were designed. Above the sink is an element that allows dishes to dry modestly, and to the right of it is a delicate decorative shelf. The island contains nine wide drawers that allow for plenty of storage and convenient for cooking. In this part of the island a place was allocated for sitting. On the other side, storage space for hosting tools was designed.
The cladding tiles behind the sink in a glossy finish emphasize a different texture from those that characterize the space, and also stand out because of their less conventional way of laying – lengthwise, in identical columns.
The kitchen before renovation // Photo: Aviv Kurt
The cladding tiles behind the sink in a glossy finish stand out due to the shape of the serial laying. The kitchen after the renovation, photo: Aviv Kurt
Study Room
The design included a home office, which became acceptable due to the changes that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The office is located in the heart of the house and is designed with transparent walls to maintain peace on the one hand, and on the other hand to interact with family members.
The thought of family and social events, in which it would be necessary to open the room wide and allow it to be an integral part of the public space, led to the design of aluminum partitions with striped glass (Galina) that can be easily opened when necessary.
The home office next to the living room, photo: Aviv Kurt
Bathrooms
The little girl's bathroom and guest toilet merged into one room where a shower stall was also incorporated. The entrance door to the space has striped glass, designed to bring light into the hallway of the house, which was very dark before. This bathroom space is also the guest toilet. The carpentry in the space includes the service chest and a storage unit for the washing machine and dryer, with a shelf of relevant cleaning products.
Since the bathroom also serves as a guest toilet, a dedicated niche has been designed in which the personal belongings of the household members are placed, and if necessary – they can be easily disappeared. At the other end of the space, in a niche, is a shower stall that guests do not reach.
The carpentry in the space includes the service chest and a storage unit for the washing machine and dryer, photo: Aviv Kurt
Storage unit in open position, photo: Aviv Kurt
The service chest in the bathroom space // Photo: Aviv Kurt
Master Master
The parents' master room remained the same, but grew slightly due to the change in the structure of the bathrooms. The back wall of the bed is green and the lighting hangs from the ceiling to the side of the bed illuminating two side tables. The bathroom has botanical motifs. The tiles chosen for the bathing area are decorative tiles with prints in a tropical atmosphere, on which brass-colored faucets have been placed.
Master Room before renovation // Photo: Aviv Kurt
Master's room after renovation, photo: Aviv Kurt
Botanical view in the bathroom space of the master room, photo: Aviv Kurt
Living room
Textile games and the use of natural-looking wood brought a lot of warmth and a sense of home to the living room. The seating system was placed next to a spacious living room table – two elements that allow for a relaxed gathering. Incorporating vegetation, even if with a touch, brings freshness and a sense of life to the entire space. The spot array allows for pleasant lighting scenarios, especially in the evening.
The living room after the renovation, photo: Aviv Kurt
From the designer
"The challenge of building bathrooms on the ground floor was an acute part of the floor solution. The infrastructure was critical, and this is a building where not everything is possible, and it presented many constraints and challenges. The rooms had to be practical and comfortable for daily use, so it was necessary to allow maximum natural light in, creating access to the hanging ropes. It was exciting to apply a sense of forest and tropicality in the right and pleasant dose."
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