Bright Serenity for a Beachfront Tel Aviv Pad
An ocean view dominates the design of this contemporary bachelor
pad. Set right on a beach, close to a nature reserve outside of Tel
Aviv, Israel, this remodeled duplex was designed to make the most of its
location.
Architect Lihi Gerstner and brother Din Gerstner remodeled this home as a soothing space for the busy owner to come home to and as a spacious venue for entertaining, indoors and out.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A businessman who is single
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Size: 1,700 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, separate office
Photography by Amit Geron
Architect Lihi Gerstner and brother Din Gerstner remodeled this home as a soothing space for the busy owner to come home to and as a spacious venue for entertaining, indoors and out.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A businessman who is single
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Size: 1,700 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, separate office
Photography by Amit Geron
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The Gerstners added more square
footage to the garden terrace and outfitted the space with multiple
seating areas and a complete outdoor kitchen. At night a projector
— hung from the bottom of a balcony on the second floor — displays
movies on the stone wall of the neighboring apartment complex.
Sofa, dining table, chairs: Artan; projector: Viabizzuno |
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A portion of the duplex was
turned into a separate office where the homeowner receives clients. The
office is set at the very back of the deck, behind the kitchen, and is
accessed via the terrace.
Although the office feels very separate from the rest of the house, it shares the same ocean view and patio. |
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Although the white color palette
is a tribute to the owner's style, it also was chosen to allow the view
to become the home's focus. "The inspiration was serenity and
stillness," says Lihi. With a hectic lifestyle — he travels frequently
for work — the homeowner wanted a calm and soothing space to come home
to.
Sofa: B&B; coffee table: Habitat; TV suspension: Future Automation |
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The owner's love of entertaining
also contributed to the open layout — here he can cook and clean while
still being a part of the party.
Stove: Wolf; refrigerator: Sub-Zero; bar stools: Habitat |
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All of the kitchen's small
appliances sit in the white built-in cabinet next to the fridge. The
seamless cabinetry design decreases the utilitarian look of the space,
making it feel like a natural extension of the main living room.
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Although he prefers a clean and
contemporary design, the homeowner also wanted to bring wood and warmth
into his house. This custom Belgian oak cabinet — which holds cookbooks
and glassware — adds a natural element to the starker surroundings.
Shelving unit: Custom, from old Belgian oak |
This pivoting door opens up into
the home's entrance hall from the apartment building's hallway. The door
has the same length (2 meters, or about 6 1/2 feet) as the window
directly in front of it.
These unique triangular stairs
were a new venture for the team, and the result is stunning. Wood treads
in a triangular shape allow for optimum strength in a slim form.
Lihi saw the staircase as the
home's main sculptural element, connecting all three levels. Visually,
the stairs seem to hang from the glass handrails. "The idea was to blur
the gravity forces to lift the weight of the stairs into nothingness,"
she says.
On the second story, a plasma window has remote-controlled transparency, either opening or blocking the view into the master bedroom.
On the second story, a plasma window has remote-controlled transparency, either opening or blocking the view into the master bedroom.
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The master bathroom was designed
to be an open part of the bedroom. "The idea was to enjoy a bath with
the view of the water in front of you," says Lihi. Each room in the
house presents a different view of the ocean. When someone is lying down
in the bed, the land outside is barely visible — the view is all ocean
and sky.
Bathtub, fixture: Boffi; flooring: sandblasted oak parquet; bed frame: custom, from old Belgian oak |
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The team purposefully kept the
upstairs sparse and clean. While this contributes to the home's serene
feel, it also creates a blank slate that the client can add to and
accent however he wants.
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