Ready and waiting

The goal was to create something very modern and easy to keep clean, and at the same time provide the look they wanted – uncluttered and minimalistic.

By GLORIA DEUTSCH
A GUILLOTINE window in the living room has the top pane overtaking the lower one (photo credit: URIEL MESSA)
A GUILLOTINE window in the living room has the top pane overtaking the lower one
(photo credit: URIEL MESSA)
‘A young couple approached me and asked me to help them with their apartment,” says interior designer Nicola Kantor. “It’s a holiday place in Herzliya Pituah, and is used several times a year when they visit from London, but the rest of the time no one is living there.”
The goal was to create something very modern and easy to keep clean, and at the same time provide the look they wanted – uncluttered and minimalistic.
She gave the owners several options, as she usually does when she embarks on a project.
“I love the look of wood and the Japanese influence,” she says. But the couple was adamant – no wood, no superfluous decoration.
When she undertook the work, she realized she would have to cope with the strange shape of the apartment, which is somewhat triangular.
“I didn’t like the shape, and the aim was to make it more square,” she says.
The balcony off the lounge had already been closed off, so she decided to put a large rectangular window at the end of the room to aid in the illusion of turning the triangle into a square.
The previous window had been divided into separate panes of glass, making it less suitable for the effect she wanted.
“I put in a large electronic window in which the top plane can be brought down over the lower one – it’s called a guillotine window – and this would hopefully draw the eye away from the fact that the wall is at an angle,” she says.
“When it’s open, all the sea breezes come in,” she adds. “The horizontal line of the window remains, so it distracts from the unconventional shape.”
She took away the low ceilings and concealed the air-conditioner units inside cupboards, leaving the walls free with only a grille along the top to cool the rooms. This made for cleaner lines, which fitted in with the concept.
The 160-square-meter apartment is an all-open plan, so the kitchen, lounge and dining room blend into one large space. In fact, the dining room was created by sacrificing one of the bedrooms.
“I wanted the feeling of an open space studio,” she explains.
“The family wasn’t looking for privacy, and it’s fine that everyone can see everyone and what each one is doing.”
The large floor tiles in the whole apartment are made of granite porcelain, which gives a look of concrete, and the light gray of the floor contrasts with the dark mocha gray of the lounge suite.
This was made by a carpenter to fit exactly into the space.
“It’s actually synthetic leather, which makes it very practical,” she says.
The shelves next to the window were also built in to provide a place for small decorative objects and plants. The supporting pillar next to the kitchen was used for a sunken television, since it could not be removed.
The island of the kitchen is topped with charcoal-shade marble and doubles as work surface and eating area. It incorporates the sink and hob, while the dishwasher is concealed in a drawer. The whole island is lifted from the floor to give a more airy look.
The décor of the children’s bathroom took its inspiration from the nearby sea, with wavy white tiles and the unit painted a deep sea blue.
In the bedroom, the bed was turned around so that the amazing sea view would be the first thing the owners saw when they woke up in the morning. This left the bed without a back, so the solution was to build open shelving behind the bed.
“It serves as a divider and can also be used for bedside tables, as there is no room for them in the usual place,” explains the designer.
A walk-in closet has a mirror on the door, reflecting the great view outside, while the en-suite bathroom is accessed from behind the wall unit.
The corridor off which all the rooms lead is narrow with a low ceiling. An LED light was sunk into the wall to show the way into the lounge area.
All the lighting was planned to maintain the clean lines and give maximum illumination with minimum fuss. The lights are mostly put at the side of the room to leave the center free.
Wall lights are used for atmosphere. Over the dining table, there are several Danish lights of the same shape, but all in different colors.
Whenever the young family in London decides to visit Israel for some much-needed sunshine, they know they can walk straight in, and the apartment will be ready to receive them.