A small apartment with a large renovation budget, or vice versa - which is better?
A client with a budget of about NIS 3 million was debating how to invest her money - whether in an apartment with a larger area and an additional bedroom, or in a smaller apartment that she could renovate from the ground up according to her taste. This is her choice.
Walla!
Home and design
21/04/2022
Thursday, 21 April 2022, 08:33
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The project:
Renovation of a 3-room apartment in Kfar Saba
Area:
about 75 sq.m.
Interior design:
Michael Ohayon
Rising housing prices lead many buyers to an economic decision - whether to compromise on the size of the apartment and invest a considerable amount of money in renovation and upgrade, Without a budget for renovation or upgrade. This dilemma was encountered by a customer who wanted to buy an apartment in Green Kfar Saba. "The customer came to me following recommendations from previous customers.
She was debating between a three- or four-room apartment.
But in the end she bought a 3-room apartment and decided to invest what was left of the budget available to her in the renovation - about NIS 750,000, "says interior designer Michael Ohayon, who is responsible for designing the apartment.
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To the full article
The renovation budget is about a third of the price of the apartment - NIS 750,000 (Photo: Idan Gur)
"The house was characterless at first and the client was clear she wanted a bright and clean house. After receiving the house keys and I the keys to the project, I learned the client and her energy and character. The starting point was bright and minimalist colors, but while working I realized who she is and what she wants. "We wanted to produce a house with a young and minimalist character, in a high-tech style, that would speak to who she really is. I was happy that we had a very good connection and she flowed with my ideas and suggestions," says Ohayon.
"When I decided to buy an apartment, I was debating the size," the landlady tells us.
"In the end I chose to buy a smaller apartment and invest the difference in the renovation. The cost of the renovation is about a third of the apartment. In fact I chose to give up a room and invest its cost in the renovation. I wanted to enter the apartment and feel in a hotel. "I moved into the apartment only with suitcases of clothes."
Two mirrors in black ironwork were hung on the wall in front of the kitchen to give the illusion of greater space (Photo: Idan Gur)
Ohayon returns and tells us about the process and the dramatic change that affected the character of the apartment.
"After studying the client and the house, I realized that the initial planning was not so suitable for us. It was Thursday evening, I called the client and asked her 'what do you think about a black kitchen?'. I asked her not to answer, take the weekend to think and get back to me in the day First with an answer.
Indeed, the phone call was not long in coming, and on Sunday morning she informed me that she agreed to the offer. "
And so, the clean white kitchen became the complete opposite - black and dramatic." I chose a very minimalist, young and powerful black kitchen.
This inviting, warm and homey kitchen and no less important, is very practical.
People have a fear of the dirt that a black kitchen will accumulate, but keep in mind that a kitchen is a very active place and constantly take care to clean it so that it does not accumulate dust or dirt in a special way.
For me, in this house the kitchen is the diamond - small, special and prestigious. "
She thought she wanted a clean white kitchen.
The matte black kitchen that was eventually chosen (Photo: Idan Gur)
Spared nothing.
Hidden steam collectors rising from the island (Photo: Idan Gur)
The landlady spared no item in the kitchen, including the installation of hidden steam collectors within the induction rising from the island.
On the wall in front of the sink hung 2 large mirrors from which the kitchen is reflected and they increase its limited space.
"The front door is located next to the kitchen and I did not want anyone entering the apartment to feel crowded, so we placed two luxury mirrors in black fittings. The apartment area is relatively small but we opened everything and did everything possible to create a sense of space."
Artwork in the living room (Photo: Idan Gur)
Power wall in the living room with laser cuts (Photo: Idan Gur)
In the living room, Ohayon created a decorative power wall behind the TV.
"Because the apartment is not large, the wall is also used for storage and also includes dedicated wine shelves, since the landlady and her children are wine lovers," the designer explains.
The power wall is made of laser cuts, which are repeated in other places in the apartment.
And all the lighting and fittings in the house were chosen in a black shade and with a luxurious design.
It is impossible to look at the living room and not notice the works of art that adorn it.
"I wanted the customer to have a souvenir from me," Ohayon reveals.
"The pictures that hang very characteristic and connect to my story, I presented them to the customer and she also very much connected to them. When I saw in the store the statue of pebbles placed in the living room, I remembered a picture I had from the post-army trip. I fell in love with it and so did the customer who purchased it. And I told her that if she decides not to move into the house, I immediately enter it, it is a house I can happily live in. "
The laser cuts are also repeated in other spaces in the apartment.
The bedroom (Photo: Idan Gur)
Bathroom (Photo: Idan Gur)
The tiles and the ironwork break the black concept (Photo: Idan Gur)
Choice of materials that create harmony and connection (Photo: Idan Gur)
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The design language of the house continues in the other spaces: in the bedroom, the guest room and in the bathroom.
"It was important to me to create uniformity and continuity in terms of materials and colors, because the apartment is not large," says Ohayon.
"I chose materials that create harmony and connection of one space, and I maintained uniformity between all the spaces in the house. In the bathroom, for example, the closet corresponds with the cabinets in the public spaces and the wall of power. We combined the nobility and power of black , Which breaks the black and gold and adds interest to the space. "
Home and design
Tags
renovation
Renovations
exterior design
Kfar Saba
Green Kfar Saba