There are houses where you can recognize their potential at first glance, even if in reality they are still far from serving the people who live in them. Such was the case with this house, which was redesigned by an interior designer.Tuvia Panfil, founder of Studio PANFILThis is a private house in Ramat Gan, about 300 square meters in area, located on a corner lot in an established neighborhood, and underwent a comprehensive renovation for a young family – a couple in their forties and their three children, who wanted to re-adapt it to their daily lives, and to the way they really live, host, and conduct themselves. The house was built about 15 years ago for an older couple, and therefore the original design also reflected a completely different lifestyle: the public spaces were relatively divided, the kitchen is located in a remote area facing the parking lot, and the connection between the interior and the active garden areas was only partial. The renewed result is a modern, precise, and calm house, which manages to create order and hierarchy within a complex architectural envelope, without sacrificing a sense of openness, light, and flow.Ofri Paz | STANNELAlthough the basic skeleton of the house was good and did not require a dramatic structural change, the interior layout was reorganized to suit the needs of a young family. The main challenge was to create order within a very open space, with almost no continuous walls, with an abundance of large openings, natural light and a complex geometry of diagonal lines, sharp corners and ceilings at varying angles. Rather than trying to blur these features, Penfil chose to work with them and make them an integral part of the new design language. “The goal was to create a modern, calm and precise house, one that does not rely on passing trends but on quality materials, correct proportions and functional design,” says Penfil. “Accordingly, the new design emphasizes creating an open and continuous public space that connects the living room, kitchen, and dining area, designing a large and comfortable kitchen that is suitable for both daily use and entertaining, incorporating as many storage solutions as possible, but hidden as possible, and strengthening the direct connection between the house and the garden and outdoor spaces.”
The main move in the project was to create a large and significant architectural element at the heart of the entrance floor: a kind of large carpentry cube, which organizes the public space around it. Instead of dividing the floor with new partitions, this element became an anchor that defines the different areas of the house, while still maintaining a sense of openness. “This cube faces three different directions, and each side of it has a different function,” explains the designer.“On one side it serves as the living room’s TV wall, on the other it defines the kitchen area, and on the third side it creates a neat foyer for the entrance area of the house.” A dark finish was chosen for the carpentry, and it serves as a clear visual anchor within a bright and open envelope. A restrained color palette was built around it, including shades of gray, smoky black, warm wood, and measured touches of deep color. The existing beams were significantly reduced, choosing to leave them only in places where they have a clear architectural justification – on the columns. In this way, they emphasize the constructive elements and contribute material depth without overloading the space. They are joined by the ceiling beams, which were preserved as part of the original character of the house and integrate into the new language, while touches of color in deep shades of blue, green, and brown add interest, warmth, and a layer of depth to the restrained language.
The public space was designed as an open, flowing, and connected space, where the living room, kitchen, and dining area maintain a continuous dialogue, while also having a direct and continuous connection to the outdoor spaces. The kitchen, which was relatively small in the original design and, as mentioned, faced the parking lot, was moved as part of the renovation to the back of the house, the one facing the garden and the large openings. This change made a fundamental difference in the way the house functions: instead of a side and detached kitchen, a large, bright, and comfortable kitchen for daily use was created, which naturally connects to the guest areas, the yard, and the entire course of life. In its center stands an island whose shape continues the angles of the existing structure, and thus it functions as an integral part of the overall planning language. The living room is located in the center of the floor, between the kitchen and the dining area, and the atmosphere in it is relaxed and intimate thanks to the choice of furniture with rounded lines, which soften the sharp geometry of the shell. The dining area is located next to large display windows facing the garden, so that the entertainment naturally expands to the outdoors, which was also designed as a direct continuation of the public space, with seating and entertainment areas that reinforce the sense of continuity between the interior of the house and the garden.
On the upper floor, the atmosphere changes noticeably – from the open and dynamic hospitality space to a calm, intimate and softer space, dedicated entirely to silence and privacy. This transition is not only functional, but also sensory: the lighting softens, the materials become warmer, and the architectural rhythm slows down to an enveloping and inclusive experience.
The master suite is one of the most prominent and precise spaces on this floor, and it was designed around one central and particularly significant item – an adjustable AUPING Essential bed. The bed, designed and engineered by the Berlin-based design duo Köhler and Wilms, has won prestigious international design awards, including the Red Dot Design Award, Good Industrial Design and the iF Product Design Award. Already in the early stages of the planning, it was clear that this was not a complementary item, but a conceptual and design anchor around which the entire space would be shaped.
The choice of a deep blue for the bed led the material and color language of the entire suite. The same precise blue recurs in the carpentry details, the cabinet fronts, and other complementary elements, creating a harmonious dialogue between the various items. Color is not used here merely as an aesthetic medium, but as a connecting tool that creates continuity, depth, and a sense of wholeness.
Alongside this, the rest of the room’s elements were carefully chosen to balance the dominant presence of blue – natural tones, soft textures and materials that are pleasant to the touch complement the bed and emphasize the quiet elegance of the space. The result is a suite with a clear, deep and refined identity, which manages to combine a precise design statement with a sense of everyday comfort and relaxation.
The bed itself occupies a very central place in the experience of the room, not only physically but also visually. It gives the entire unit a colorful and material anchor, and manages to be dominant without being overwhelming. The choice of a deep blue, unconventional but precise, introduces a sense of depth and softness into the space at the same time, and distinguishes the master unit from the restrained language of the rest of the house, without cutting it off from it.““Another homage to this color also appears in the public space: the bar stools in the kitchen were given exactly the same shade. This way, those passing through the spaces can recognize the context and experience the house as one complete system, rather than as a collection of disconnected rooms,” explains Panfil.
Planning and design |Tuvia Panfil, Studio PANFILPhotography |Shiran Carmel
About the firm | Studio PANFILStudio PANFIL, founded by interior designer Tuvia Panfil and operating for about 16 years, specializes in designing private homes and residential apartments. Over the years, the firm has developed a design approach that combines precise functionality with a rich and meticulous aesthetic language, with customized carpentry and storage solutions forming an integral part of the architecture itself. As in this project, the studio’s other works also show the search for a balance between a clear design statement and a home that feels natural, right, and comfortable to live in over time.
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Where design meets lifestyle
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Where design meets lifestyle
Where design meets lifestyle
