Design by Oron Milstein/Elad Gonen
For:
A couple in their 60s
Where:
Gindi TLV project in the heart of Tel Aviv
The apartment:
a mini-penthouse apartment with an area of about 140 square meters + 20 square meters of balcony
Planning and design:
Oron Milstein
Photo:
Elad Gonen
After decades of living in a spacious villa, the couple, whose children have already grown up and started their own families, decided to move to a bright and spacious mini-penthouse apartment in the Gindi TLV project - one of the most sought-after projects in the city.
They received the apartment, which originally consisted of 6 rooms, when it was already built, but the situation did not deter them and they chose to adapt it precisely to their taste and needs.
Design by Oron Milstein/Elad Gonen
"They both realized that they no longer needed a spacious house like the one they had, but at the same time it was important to them that they could host their children and grandchildren in the best possible way in the new apartment," explains interior designer Oron Milstein, who is responsible for the planning and design of the apartment.
"We destroyed the old layout, which included, as mentioned, 5 bedrooms and a living room, and in its place we planned a completely different division that includes a large accommodation wing that ends in a dark and dramatic front where there is, among other things, a hidden door that leads to the private wing, where we designed a luxurious bedroom suite for the children and grandchildren who come to stay, a general bathroom and an especially large master bedroom for the couple. There is a very clear division between private and public and the planning is practical and functional, one that matches their lifestyles - for example, we converted the area of the three bathrooms that were in the original apartment (and it was clear to all of us that they were not really needed) in favor of other functions "The whole process was accompanied by the owner of the apartment, a person with a developed sense of design who was very into it down to the level of the smallest details," recalls the designer.
"
Since the apartment faces southwest, and receives plenty of natural light throughout the day, we were not afraid to use it In dark shades that, if you know how to combine them in the right doses, you can create a luxurious and up-to-date look with their help without making the space gloomy.
For example, in the public space there are many dark elements, but the natural light that penetrates through the windows that wrap around the wing, as well as the bright and well-lit library in the living room, which is about 5.5 meters long, balances out the darkness."
Design by Oron Milstein/Elad Gonen
Design by Oron Milstein/Elad Gonen
"Upon opening the front door, we will discover on the left a continuous wall that reaches to the edge of the kitchen, which we painted in a graphite gray shade - it is the one that separates the public from the private and contains operational functions such as the electrical and communication cabinets and an entrance door to the utility room and laundry, in the area where the guest services were previously located.
" The wall is the front of the kitchen, it is completely hidden and includes double concept doors that open and close as needed and for convenience hidden from the sink surface.
We took advantage of the depth in this area to install electric cookers with a reflective glass front and internal lighting, in which we integrated all the products required in an active kitchen, from small electrical appliances to cups and plates."
Design by Oron Milstein/Elad Gonen
Opposite the front, a spacious H-shaped island was designed that serves as the preparation and cooking area, on which the stove sits and in its lower part is used for storage: "The couple requested a seating counter at the height of a standard dining table, lower than the height of the island. I created a piece of furniture for them that looks like a bar in a restaurant, with a sort of step Inside the 75 cm high marble surface that does not detract from its shape and serves as a practical and comfortable eating surface."
Next is the dining area which consists of a round table made entirely (top and legs) of black glass. Polycarbonate chairs designed by the Spanish super designer Jaime Hayon were placed around it and above it hung a chandelier made of casting Acrylic material, inspired by classic European design with a completely modern adaptation. Next to the dining area, a floor-to-ceiling display cabinet was designed, made of black oak veneer and glass doors. In the lower part, wine refrigerators were installed, above which was a drinks cabinet and a display of trophies and glasses.
Design by Oron Milstein/Elad Gonen
The library in the living room is bright but in practice it is a powerful wall of power.
It was designed CUSTOM MADE for the apartment, painted in a matte white oven and integrated with internal lighting that illuminates the elements inside: "Over the years, the owner of the house collected a lot of books and this corner is used for an elegant display of some of them alongside art, accessories and beautiful tools - a corner that adds a lot of character to the apartment ", says Milstein.
"The two chaise longue sofas are upholstered in fabric and do not block the space. The two armchairs, from the Gauthier designer house, are upholstered in a rich fabric with a Japanese sakura blossom print and in the center of the space two aluminum tables are placed on top of a carpet woven abroad according to a design I created.
Its colors and shapes break the dark mass and geometric lines in the space, it introduces pops and balances the tight and formal look.
The same action is also created by the colorful pop art works of the British artist Thomas Roxon, which we purchased at the Lemon Frame gallery in Tel Aviv.
" For the outdoor environment, in front of it were placed acrylic chairs of the Kartell brand and in the center an oak table with a glass plate.
Design by Oron Milstein/Elad Gonen
From the public to the private: upon opening the hidden door in the dark facade we will discover a lighted and bright corridor.
Along it were hung plates by the Italian artist Piero Fornesti on a back depicting the face of his muse: the opera singer Lina Cavalieri who was the source of inspiration for all his works.
The guest suite was designed in detail to accommodate the children and grandchildren who come frequently.
In the center is a double bed that also opens as needed and in front of it is a wall-to-wall closet that serves as a disaster for the guests and the owners of the apartment, in the center of which is integrated the TV screen.
Design by Oron Milstein/Elad Gonen
"The general bathroom is also used as a guest toilet and as such is spacious and impressive," explains the designer.
"We used them with a wavy-looking tile and embedded the shower in a niche so that when you open the front door, you don't notice it at all. The bathroom cabinet is made of a black glass front topped with a Corian surface."
A respectable area was allocated for the couple's master bedroom: "They lived in a large house and it was important to them that the master bedroom in the new apartment should not fall in level or size from the one that was used by them over the years. The bedroom is spread over about 25 square meters and when you add the closet and the bathroom you get For a total area of about 40 square meters," says Milstein.
"We covered the floor with blackened oak parquet, and since the bedroom is very large, I created a powerful floor-to-ceiling 5.5-meter bed back. It is made of a blackened oak veneer frame, which also incorporates lighting. In the depth of the niche created, one-meter-by-meter plates were installed, which we upholstered with stone-colored leather. On both sides of the bed are integral nightstands with a black veneer body and black glass shutter fronts, which include all the lighting switches and sockets, similar to hotels. The chest of drawers opposite is also used as a dressing table, it is painted black with an oven and inside it is a TV screen that goes up in the elevator as needed. Thus , when it is not in use, it is possible to look unobstructed in the direction of the landscape."
Design by Oron Milstein/Elad Gonen
Milstein chose the couple's bathroom to be lined with black tiles and covered with extra large terrazzo tiles.
In the large shower, he designed a floating shelf detail for them and created the bath cabinet from a slotted walnut front topped by a Corian surface on which a sink rests.
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