When we prepare for a house or apartment renovation, we usually know that planning and patience are required, we will take into account the investment in time and money, we will recruit professionals around us and mark everything we dream of on Pinterest.

Flexibility, openness, and listening are not the first principles we think of, if at all. We may prefer to ignore the possibility that there will be surprises along the way, and sometimes we become fixated on a solution,

An element or detail, even if they don’t exactly fit with the situation on the ground. In our conversation with designer Hilli Lazarov about this Tel Aviv apartment, his and the clients’ flexibility stood out along the way.

Unexpected discoveries were creatively incorporated into the design, good communication between the planners and the clients led to new solutions, and the end result is an eclectic apartment where every corner is eye candy.

Ofri Paz | Stanley Home

The penthouse in question is located in a listed building and was designed for a couple and their two children. The public space is on the upper floor and the private spaces are downstairs.

The lower floor was completely redesigned and divided, and despite the planning challenge, Healy managed to incorporate all the necessary functions, including a double suite, two bedrooms,

Family area, laundry room and bathroom.

Regarding the complex work process, Healy says: “There was a flow with the existing situation, with the construction process and with what was discovered during it. Of course, there was precise and detailed planning that we followed throughout,

But if an unexpected loophole came, then we used it.”

Surprises from customers

Part of the redesign included moving the entrance to the house, which originally opened towards the kitchen. The idea of creating a bridge that goes over and across the stairs came from the clients.

Although it was an engineering and design challenge, the idea was enthusiastically received by the planning and execution team,

The entrance door was made of iron and glass, and the new bridge is accompanied by a railing that is also made of iron combined with an airy mesh.

On the other side of the staircase, a low library was designed that also serves as a railing and integrates integrally with the curved column next to it.

Another significant element in the public space is the living room wall, which includes a television, a floating bench and a fireplace. Healy says: “The clients had been in London for many years and the fireplace was a part of their lives.

At first I didn’t see the need for it, but through discussions on the subject I realized that there was a power center here that could be used.” The design solution he created connects the interior and exterior and also constitutes a significant focal point in the public space. The exterior cladding continues inward to cover the upper part of the bench and the wall, located between wide display cases. The concrete bench, above which is a fireplace and a television embedded in a niche, also continues outward on the balcony to create a mirror image of the interior design.

In contrast to projects where most of the furniture was purchased according to the new design, in this case the designers had to plan around vintage furniture, lighting fixtures, rugs, and accessories that the couple collected during their periods abroad and brought to Israel in a container. To provide a suitable backdrop for the unique collection, polished concrete flooring in a warm beige shade and technical lighting fixtures were chosen.

Surprises during the demolition stages

As befits the renovation of an old building, during the demolition stages, elements were discovered that required planning and design adjustments.

Rather than hiding the surprises, they were unapologetically incorporated as part of the apartment’s design language. Take, for example, the partially exposed silicate brick wall in the dining area.

Healy explains: “During the demolition phase, the contractor tested the wall with a hammer and we decided to expose only the lower part of it.

Apparently, about 40 years ago this was the roof wall, so the bricks reached a height of 1 meter and above them was a block wall. From a design perspective, this turned out even better than exposing the entire wall.”

There were also discoveries on the lower floor that affected the final result. In the parents’ unit, where the beams and columns were exposed, another unexpected column was discovered.

“The composition changed and something interesting and asymmetrical was created. We flowed with it and ultimately a look was created that explains the structure of the apartment.”

We will take this opportunity to explain the special structure of the double bedroom, where the bed was turned towards the windows and a hallway was created towards the bathroom.

A wide chest of drawers creates a kind of headboard and separates it from the two tall cabinets, which were adjusted to the existing columns.

Freedom within borders

When there are clear guidelines and predefined planning, it is easier to make decisions on the ground and deal with the surprises that come along during the process.

In this case, the design language and material concept led the way, with the ‘truth of the material’ receiving special emphasis in this apartment.

The goal was to use as many natural materials as possible, such as stone, clay, wood, iron, and concrete, to present them in their raw form as much as possible, and to expose as much of the brick and concrete as possible.

Which are often hidden by layers of plaster, paint, and wall coverings.

In addition to the brick wall in the dining area and the exposed beams and columns we already mentioned, a support beam in the public space was left exposed and another brick wall was exposed in the study.

There, the floor was covered with specially ordered, illustrated concrete tiles that were also incorporated into the bathroom.

The carpentry in the house was designed according to the same principle – “The carpentry was an important part of the design. It not only solves storage needs and does not strive to disappear, but strives to use the material in a raw and solid way.”

“We wanted to convey a bit of the Jaffa atmosphere that the homeowners were looking for and also connect with the vintage that they brought with them,” explains the designer. This principle can be seen throughout the apartment, for example in the interior doors,

In the cabinets and of course in the kitchen.

The carpentry units are mostly made of solid wood, and the facades also incorporate glass and straw, which help create a lighter look while maintaining the natural appearance.

The result is a diverse and eclectic look that combines transparency with opacity and old with new.

Planning and design: Studio Hilli Lazarov

Photo: Alon Barhoum

Styling and clothing: Hila Shneur Lazarov

For the STANNEL Healy Lazarov profile:Hili Lazarov » Social network for home design, real estate and art

To the INSTAGRAM profile of Hilly Lazarov: https://www.instagram.com/hila_lazarov_home_styling/

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