Common language in design

Designers Chani Fisher and Tova Adler complement each other as they design houses such as this one.

By GLORIA DEUTSCH
Common language in design (photo credit: Uriel Messa)
Common language in design
(photo credit: Uriel Messa)
We feel that the whole house should have a common language,” say designers Chani Fisher and Tova Adler, who have worked together for the last seven years.
Even if a home is on three floors, as this one is, one gets the feeling, on walking in, that the color palette and overall style are consistent and blend comfortably to produce the look they wanted – what they define as modern but classic.
The house belongs to the Fisher family and was built 16 years ago, in the heart of Ra’anana. Fisher’s husband, who is a businessman, took the family to Los Angeles for several years, and upon returning, they practically knocked down the old house and started again, keeping only one thing – the wrought-iron staircase connecting the three levels.
“Our needs had changed in the interim,” she says. “When we first lived here, we had a teenage daughter and two small boys. One of the reasons the banisters have small bird sculptures welded to them was to stop the children sliding down them when they were small, and we left them because they are so attractive.”
Not surprisingly, the kitchen is very much the heart of this home. It’s a magnificent nine-meter space with three huge refrigerators – one dairy, one meat and one freezer – two dishwashers, and tons of work space and storage. Unlike many beautiful kitchens, this one is used and not just for show.
“For me, it’s the dwelling center,” says Fisher, who bakes her own hallot every Friday and wouldn’t dream of buying cooked food. She tells me she bakes six or seven cakes a week. The television set in the kitchen has a sliding screen over it, which also hides mixers and other utensils to preserve the streamlined look. The wood surrounds of all the cabinets is African walnut, in two shades produced by the different use of solid wood or veneer. There are some delightful and easy-to-copy ideas; one drawer pulls out to reveal an entire collection of every conceivable spice, lying face up so the busy cook can reach in and find it at once. Then there is a long narrow space inside one of the tall cupboards to stuff all the paper bags from the supermarket, handy for reusing when needed.
It is situated right next to the dining room, which is furnished with a long glass-topped table, black leather chairs and a striking glass and stainless-steel chandelier. The adjacent lounge is decorated in similar shades, with the sofas in dark gray linen and an interesting coffee table with clean linestopped with iron brickwork.
A very unusual feature of the lounge are the two frosted glass sliding doors which, on Shabbat, can be moved to the center to hide the television set, and reveal the more suitable Shabbat activity of reading, with all the holy books lined up for the taking.
Both designers feel that while the muted colors they have chosen for the overall look could be considered cold, they have added warmth through the use of materials like wood and the unusual mocha shade of the walls.
“We like the natural look,” they say, and feel it makes a good backdrop for splashes of color like the Bruce Rubenstein bird painting in the lounge, and the different decorations strategically placed about.
Against one wall they have created a scene which embodies their eclectic approach, a silver and crystal decorative mirror placed over a very spartan contemporary table.
“It shows that you can mix kitschy and modernistic,” the designers say. “It’s just a question of getting the right amount and combination.”
The master bedroom is finished in the same neutral shades of black, white and mocha, with a light oak parquet floor and a charcoal gray rug. The drapes, in gray and cream, are a traditional design and the room exudes tranquility.
Under the wall-mounted television, a decorative cupboard from India provides a contrast to the black-and-white furnishings, the color toning in with the mocha walls.
A walk-in closet off the bedroom is an object lesson in how to display clothing, with “his” and “her” sides, shelves full of hatboxes and half a wall devoted to an impressive shoe collection. The costume jewelry is pinned to a length of black material hanging by the door, and looks like a very fancy dress.
In the basement a suite was built for visitors, and the window looks out onto the garden wall.
“You really can’t tell you are in a basement,” says Fisher.
With their combined expertise, Fisher and Adler are a popular duo among Anglos who are doing renovations, and need someone who speaks their language – both literally and artistically