Meet Kfir Galatia Azoulay – an architect, engineer and multidisciplinary designer, who heads KOT Architects.

The studio has seven employees and is involved in a variety of residential, office, hotel and commercial projects. They are currently working on a 70-room boutique hotel in Budapest in a listed building,

As well as establishing a new nationwide chain of stores, while developing the brand’s presence in Israel and the United States. At the same time, the studio is also engaged in product design, and soon you will be able to see a carpet collection that will be presented in Paris and Milan, furniture details that they are designing for a Swiss brand, and an exhibition as part of the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Clear values and principles are embedded in every project, and the studio does not limit itself to a particular design style. “We believe in free creativity that adapts itself to the context, people, and place.

“A quick look at our projects will reveal a wide variety of styles and aesthetic worlds, with each project receiving a unique expression that is different from the others,” explains Kfir. The planning process begins with understanding the functional needs of the client and the project, and from there we continue to the conceptual design: “We look for the story that connects the function and the architectural experience, from which the aesthetics and plasticity of the space are born.”

Welcome to a three-level penthouse apartment overlooking the sea, designed for a family of four.

Its location on the Tel Aviv coastline is the center of the design concept, which relies on monochromatic colors based on shades of sand, wood, and natural stone, with the aim of emphasizing the sea view from the windows.

“The materials, light and spaces speak a harmonious and well-synchronized language, and serve as extras in the film of the blue sea,” Kfir explains. To improve the flow between the spaces and between the interior and exterior and create the feeling of a private home, the original staircase and the walls that surrounded it were dismantled. This created an open space that rises to a height of 7 meters, above which is a stretched risol ceiling that simulates a skylight and also serves as a large light fixture.

The new staircase is made of steel and covered in stone, with a concave glass railing and wall cladding in the appearance of natural stone for an elegant and rich appearance.

The apartment’s public spaces are located on the entrance floor, with the kitchen facing the urban landscape of the White City, and the living room opening onto the large balcony and the beach. Dark-toned low-rise kitchen cabinets are combined with a rough-finished natural stone worktop, creating contrast and a sense of levitation. Rounded elements such as the dining table, seating arrangement and carpet in the living room create a soft and organic look.

In the master suite, the bed is placed in the center of the room, facing the sea. Custom light-colored joinery covers the wall leading to the closet and bathroom, combined with copper-colored glass doors.

The bathroom incorporates a natural travertine sink placed on a carpentry unit and facing a large window. “This allows for a direct view of the sea and sky while grooming and bathing, creating a unique bathing experience connected to nature. A mirror hanging next to the window completes the required function without obscuring the view,” explains the designer.

Planning and design: Kfir Galatia Azoulay

Photo: Itay Banit

Editor: Ofri Paz