Planning and design: Dorit Sela Location: North Tel Aviv Area: 200 square meters Photography: Uri Akerman
Apartments with a panoramic view and within walking distance of the beach are considered a rare commodity in the Tel Aviv area. The apartment, which has an area of about 200 square meters and now belongs to a couple in their 40s who have three children, benefits from this resource and much more. After several years during which it stood empty in a skeleton state, the couple purchased it from the owner who purchased it as an investment apartment and set out to design an apartment for the family that is suitable to their taste and needs.
For the benefit of the matter, they turned to Dorit Sela, owner of an architecture and interior design office that specializes in planning and designing luxury apartments and private homes. Her relationship with the family is many years old and this is the fifth house she is planning for them. According to her, these are clients who have long since become family.
"The apartment underwent a far-reaching and real programmatic change with the aim of creating an optimal flow, opening as wide as possible towards the sea and a good definition between public and private," explains Sela. "For the benefit of the matter, we followed an unconventional procedure in which we changed the location of the front door, subject to the approval of all the necessary parties.
The concrete walls were sawn, the front door moved, and as a result, the central space opened up. I planned an optimal and hermetic separation between the public and the private with the help of an architectural wall that is a strength wall made of teak wood profiles and metal panels. Through a wall that is divided into fields, some of which are actually sliding doors, a vestibule is hidden that leads to the bedrooms of the winner's sons and children. Another door leads to guest services and another is the front of a storage closet and coats."
In order to break the straight mass, Sela chose to combine curved and rounded pieces that soften the space, such as the chairs in the dining area and the sofa in the living room and the Bubble Sofa located in the family corner.
The balcony that overlooks the wild view of the seashore is almost unobtrusively used by family members (of course not) frequently. Sela chose to incorporate bright and soft colors and shades that give a place of respect to the landscape.
In order to create an optimal separation between the apartment and the neighbors, she chose to replace the existing glass wall on the balcony with an iron construction on top of which a well-kept and impressive green wall was planted. The private space has been designed so that each member of the house has their own intimacy and living space.
In the hallway, Sela designed a minimalist TV corner for them, centered on the deep, luxurious and iconic Babel sofa, designed by the French-Serbian designer Sasha Lakic, upholstered in 3D jersey fabric. On the wall hung a tight TV screen that almost blends in and allows a clean transition.
The couple's bedroom suite is large and bright and has been carefully designed to make the best use of the space. It has an area of over 30 square meters and in the center is an impressive FREE STANDING bed, detached from the wall in order to gain additional storage space.
The wardrobe is hidden through detective glass doors that, when the lights are turned on, become almost completely transparent. diagonally in order to create a perspective of size and conceptually expand the area of the vestibule. For the bathroom, she chose clean and minimalist materials such as Corian used for the shower tray and sink surface and a smoked mirror that covers the cabinet drawers.