In the heart of Tel Aviv, on a quiet street surrounded by preserved buildings and in a layered urban atmosphere, a garden apartment is hidden that offers an escape from the city without being disconnected from it. Behind the street facades and the Tel Aviv hustle and bustle outside, an intimate living space opens up, wrapped in a green garden and a deep material palette, designed as a contemporary, precise and relaxing home. The apartment, which covers approximately 300 square meters and is spread over two floors, was created as part of an entrepreneurial project by DRGA Group, and was planned and designed by the office Axelrod Architects, led by architect Irit Axelrod, together with the project team Orit Tzabari, Ma’an Zioni, Noga Segev and Stephanie Alkobi. The design was based on the desire to create a house that maintains a delicate dialogue with its surroundings: on the one hand, planted in the heart of the city, and on the other hand, creating an experience of privacy, tranquility and natural continuity between the street, the garden and the interior space.

Ofri Paz | STANNEL

“The design creates an experiential continuum: from the busy and crowded city, through the quiet street, to a green, gentle and calm exterior, and from there to a warm, enveloping and safe interior space,” explains Axelrod. This continuum became one of the central principles of the project: not to separate the house from the city, but to soften the transition between them and create a green and intimate intermediate layer, which allows the apartment to function as a quiet bubble within the urban fabric.

The private garden is an integral part of the design, not just as an external addition but as an envelope that defines the entire living experience. It wraps around the apartment and accompanies the public spaces from different angles, so that the outside is present from almost every perspective. Within the dense fabric of Tel Aviv, it allows the house to breathe and reinforces the feeling of transition from the street to a protected, green and personal space.

The main design challenge stemmed from the structure of the apartment itself. The ground floor of the building is divided between the entrance lobby and the garden apartment, so the apartment was given a shape reminiscent of the letter H and wraps around parts of the building’s core. “The division of the entrance floor took into account the desire to separate functions such as living space, dining area and kitchen, but to maintain a visual connection between them,” says Axelrod. The functions were placed on different sides of the H shape, so that the dining area creates both the separation between the living space and the kitchen and the connection between them.

At the same time, the architects had to deal with structural constraints and building systems. “A former police station space was opened up to part of the public space, to allow for one space without visual separation,” says Axelrod. “The ceiling in this place is a lowered concrete pour, different from the rest of the public space. The ceiling was treated by defining a different finish, which defines the dining area space.” In addition, the entire apartment has a relatively low ceiling, within which it was necessary to integrate systems such as sprinklers and air conditioning. These were transferred to the walls and covered with precise carpentry, which turned the constraint into part of the architectural language of the house.

The entrance to the apartment leads to a public space that does not unfold all at once, but rather is revealed gradually. The living room, dining area, and kitchen are located at different corners of the building, so that each of them maintains a different relationship with the garden. From inside the house, a wide, almost panoramic view of the green exterior is obtained, but at the same time a sense of inner intimacy is maintained. The dining area is positioned as a connecting axis between the living area and the kitchen: it creates a subtle separation between the functions, but also allows them to be read as one, open, and harmonious movement.

The living room was designed as a quiet and enveloping space, where dark materials create depth rather than heaviness. An exposed concrete ceiling, dark wood flooring, and smoked glass combine to create a minimalist yet textured composition. The lighting design, by Oli Ebron Elkabes, integrates with the restrained language of the home and emphasizes the layers of material, the depth of space, and the soft transitions between the different areas.

“The materials chosen for the project are materials with aesthetic depth, designed to create an enveloping, inviting and relaxing environment, along with coherence and aesthetic cleanliness,” says Axelrod. “The choice of these materials creates a space with deep and present textures, which show in their own clever way that a clean and coherent space can exist even in the presence of dark and heavy materials.” This creates a living environment that does not rely on brightness to feel spacious, but on a balance between clean lines, precise proportions and a continuous connection to the garden.

The kitchen maintains the same tension between aesthetic cleanliness and everyday usability. The kitchen island incorporates an informal seating area and allows a direct view through the dining area into the living space. As one enters the depths of the kitchen, into the work and storage areas, the visual connection with the living room and dining area gradually breaks down. At the end of the kitchen, an additional storage and work area was designed, which can be closed off using sliding partitions, so that the public space can remain clean, tidy, and meticulous even when the house is active and functioning.

One of the key moves in the project is the use of glass partitions with variable geometric divisions. The partitions define different areas in the apartment – between the living space and the staircase, between the kitchen work area and storage, and between the hallway and the private sleeping area. “These partitions allow for flexibility – maintaining continuity of view and flow of light, along with the possibility of closure, privacy and separation when needed,” explains Axelrod. The wooden floor also receives precise geometric treatment, which adds an implicit sophistication and an element of lightness, which balances the presence of materials.

The sleeping areas continue the restrained language of the house, but in a softer and more private translation. The passage to them is made through a corridor separated by glass partitions, so that even the intimate areas are not completely disconnected from the continuity of the space. The design language here is quiet and soothing: deep materiality, clean lines, measured lighting and joinery that contains the home’s systems and storage needs without weighing it down. The bathrooms fit into the same material concept – elegant, precise and not ostentatious.

Planning and design |Axelrod ArchitectsPhotography | Amit Giron

About the Firm |Axelrod ArchitectsofficeAxelrod ArchitectsFounded in Tel Aviv in 2000 by architect Irit Axelrod, a graduate of the Technion, it operates in the fields of private and public construction, interior design of residential buildings, offices and public spaces. The firm’s design language is defined as timeless modern architecture, combining restraint, quiet power and precise attention to detail. In its work, the firm emphasizes a clear expression of materials, the use of clean and simple forms and the creation of peaceful and minimalist spaces that do not seek to be dominant. Every line, surface and volume are examined with a mind on need, desire and function, as part of an approach that sees every space as part of a broader conceptual and design continuum.

more beautiful homes for you

STANNEL DIAMOND LIST | HOTELS

more beautiful homes for you

The Interplay of Light and Shadow

more beautiful homes for you

Home Tour | The Revisionist House

more beautiful homes for you

Lifestyle | The Magazine's Selected Pools

more beautiful homes for you

The Architects Defining Contemporary Living

more beautiful homes for you

Philosophy of material and texture

more beautiful homes for you

Leading Architects Creating the Future of Living

more beautiful homes for you

The New Standard | Premium Brands 2026

more beautiful homes for you

Designers of a new era

more beautiful homes for you

Stanell List - Residential Design

more beautiful homes for you

Designers with natural materials

more beautiful homes for you

Designing spaces with color palettes

more beautiful homes for you

Living in the new era

more beautiful homes for you

Architecture without borders