The basics: The studio was founded by architects Raanan Stern and Shani Tal and specializes in innovative design solutions. Their multidisciplinary experience in planning and designing for residential, office and commercial projects allows them to integrate the knowledge acquired in each project and in each field into other fields as well. “We believe that quality design is the basis for everything, and therefore we are careful about a complete design, combining diverse materials and finishes and complex details.” In addition to houses and apartments, they also design public spaces, offices and multi-purpose spaces, which include dynamic and changing uses that are tested daily by audiences in Israel and around the world.

Welcome to: A Tel Aviv penthouse in a conservation building, designed for a young family who divides their time between the Sharon area and Tel Aviv.

“The fact that it’s not their main home allowed us a lot of flexibility. They come here on weekends and holidays, and because the couple works in the city, we designed areas for living and working, as well as for social and business gatherings,” says Raanan. In terms of design style, the planning team had to find a balance between the couple’s styles – “He likes a rough, polished New York style, dark tones and carved wood, while she connects to the more classic look and the ‘House and Garden’ style. So we incorporated vintage items and elements from his world, but applied them in lighter tones in her style.”

In this apartment you will not find off-the-shelf products but a spectacular work of planning, design and collecting. Take a look, for example, at the specially made doors and handles, the carpentry units that hide complex systems and the impressive staircase, made of aluminum and covered with walnut leaves using citrus oil, which allows the wood to soften and curve to the desired extent. The furniture, accessories and lighting fixtures were collected at markets in Paris, London and Antwerp and from leading design brands, such as an original chest of drawers from the 1960s in Denmark that has been restored and a new original armchair by Oscar Niemeyer that was placed in the living room.

On the drawing table“We have many interesting projects now, such as a project in Herzliya of tiny residential units, an event hall and a hotel on Harakevet Street in Tel Aviv. The hotel brings what is happening in the hotel sector around the world, and public spaces are planned that are a source of attraction for both hotel guests and the local population or tourists who are not staying here. Among other things, it will have a lobby with a bar that is open almost all hours of the day, a rooftop with a pool and rooms of all kinds. This way, it is possible to create mixing and interaction within the hotel between different populations that do not usually meet.”

Photo: Itay Banit | Planning and design: Rust Architects