My Houzz: Colorful Weekend Apartment Getaway in Israel
Vibrant hues, custom furnishings and a smart layout come together in this 590-square-foot Tel Aviv home
“Do what we would never do” is what Rubi and Yael Yaron told their designers, Rotem Solarchik and Dana Gutman of Studio37. The Yarons, a couple in their 50s, bought their apartment in a hip neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel, as both a rental property and a weekend getaway from their home in a seaside town in the north of the country.
The couple wanted the apartment to express their alter egos — crazy, open, colorful and uninhibited — and gave the design studio carte blanche to transform the 590-square-foot space with a budget of about $13,000. After looking at several concepts, they settled on a vibrant and festive aesthetic.
The couple wanted the apartment to express their alter egos — crazy, open, colorful and uninhibited — and gave the design studio carte blanche to transform the 590-square-foot space with a budget of about $13,000. After looking at several concepts, they settled on a vibrant and festive aesthetic.
The designers coordinated with a metal worker and carpenter to build the shelving unit on-site.
The designers also printed graphics on wood to create the accent wall that lines one side of the living area. The Yarons already owned the TV unit, which Studio37 repainted.
Most of the interior doors, windows and flooring were left intact so as not to go above the couple’s budget. The sliding glass doors lead to a small patio where Solarchik is seated.
The Yarons had an old piece of wood that had once been used on a farm to level the land. The couple asked the designers if they could think of any use for it. Solarchik and Gutman added wheels and a glass top to create a coffee table.
The couch was handcrafted from pallets that the designers found, industrial wheels and custom-made cushions. “It wasn’t easy because the back is not against the wall,” Solarchik says. They designed it to stay upright so that people can lean on it without having the cushions slouch.
The couch was handcrafted from pallets that the designers found, industrial wheels and custom-made cushions. “It wasn’t easy because the back is not against the wall,” Solarchik says. They designed it to stay upright so that people can lean on it without having the cushions slouch.
The custom bar turns the room into a multifunctional space. The width is ideal for working on a laptop or enjoying a sit-down breakfast while watching TV.
The various types of seating in the main living area complement one another.
The various types of seating in the main living area complement one another.
A minimal kitchen was perfect for the couple since they had no plans to cook in their weekend apartment. The kitchen had originally run the length of the back wall. The designers cut the cabinets in the middle and repositioned half of them along the left side to create an L-shape. The wall was also trimmed down and cut to follow the line of the cabinets.
Rustic wood forms a bulkhead to cover the bathroom plumbing pipe that runs along the ceiling. The back wall is covered with a photorealistic whitewashed wood-patterned wallpaper that the designers found on a trip to Germany.
Rustic wood forms a bulkhead to cover the bathroom plumbing pipe that runs along the ceiling. The back wall is covered with a photorealistic whitewashed wood-patterned wallpaper that the designers found on a trip to Germany.
A cozy dining niche in one corner of the kitchen area appears larger than it is, thanks to a mirror on the wall behind it.
A hallway off the living area leads to a bathroom, master bedroom and guest room. A round window cut with a computer-controlled machine looks into the guest bedroom. The interior doors in this hallway got a quick face-lift with a coat of black paint and red accent frames.
A hallway off the living area leads to a bathroom, master bedroom and guest room. A round window cut with a computer-controlled machine looks into the guest bedroom. The interior doors in this hallway got a quick face-lift with a coat of black paint and red accent frames.
The floors in the master suite were the only ones in the apartment that were replaced.
A spot that had been reserved for a washer and dryer in the bathroom was turned into a bench with underseat storage and an iron rod for hanging clothes above it. The space next to it became a floor-to-ceiling closet with mirrored doors.
To keep the look consistent, the designers used iron to create the other pieces of furniture.
To keep the look consistent, the designers used iron to create the other pieces of furniture.
All the art and vintage pieces were designed or selected by Studio37 to create a relaxing ambience for the couple’s weekend getaway home.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
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My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Rubi and Yael Yaron on weekend getaways
Location: Florentin neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel
Size: 590 square feet (54.8 square meters); two bedrooms, one bathroom
Designers: Dana Gutman and Rotem Solarchik of Studio37
A custom built-in shelving unit is the first thing you notice when entering the apartment. It functions as a subtle divider between the entrance and the open-plan living space.
Carpets from Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Etsy cover the floor, creating bursts of color. Studio37 designed the framed collage of a Mexican street.