Historic Israeli Penthouse by the Sea

When architect Pitsou Kedem was called on to restore and redesign a penthouse apartment by the sea in Israel, he answered with a resounding “Yes!” Kedem believed this residential project a satisfying challenge, one that he embarked upon carefully to honor the flat’s website in Jaffa, an ancient port city out of which Tel-Aviv has grown. Intent on preserving the historic elements of this arrangement without losing touch with his clients’ requirement for a contemporary space that reflects their modern way of life, Kedem and his team have created a comfortable design that amuses the old universe and the new.

in a Glance
Location: Jaffa, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Size: 1,076 square feet
Designer’s “aha!” Moment: When the architect stripped off the apartment walls down to its bones, he also discovered an ascetic style that surprisingly matched the minimalist, contemporary manner of his clients.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

One of the most interesting attributes that Kedem and his group restored was the first stone structure of their flat’s bones, which has been formerly concealed under thick enhancements and construction elements. “The device has been cleaned of all the extraneous elements and underwent a peeling process that exposed its first state,” says Kedem.

The structure’s stone walls, segmented ceilings and arches currently live alongside contemporary furnishings (such as this seat a version perches on) and modern touches.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

A wider view of the living space allows us appreciate just how the historic arches, pillars and substances blend seamlessly together with the contemporary details of the interior; neither the old nor new elements overwhelm the opposite.

Kedem says that although it’s hard to determine the building’s age, its stone structure resembles those used in Jaffa’s old city walls, revealing a pedigree rooted in antiquity.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

Although Jaffa has had innumerable offenses who have docked in its vents across the centuries — Babylonian, Egyptian and Turkish, to mention a couple — the view from your balcony now is serene and placid. A lone sun lounger stays and apparently smiles in the gorgeous view of the Mediterranean Sea.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

Unadorned expansive glass window arches blur the lines between indoors and out and offer an uninterrupted view of the ocean.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

Following is a look into the living space area from another perspective. Dressing the windows for privacy just wouldn’t make sense in this airy, coastal setting.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

Who wants wall art when the pure perspective is already perfect? The flat mirror reflects the ocean view and light in the outside; it also visually expands the space and tricks the eye into believing there’s a third window here.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

Kedem pushes the envelope of this flat’s interior using a transparent shower, the anchoring bit of decoration in the master bedroom.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

Showering in this penthouse isn’t for the timid when guests are around. As you can see in the picture, the bathtub is entirely visible from the frequent place, the hallway and part of the kitchen.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

This hallway is really an expansion of the shower space — or instead, the shower is in which this hall “powder room” ends. Frameless cabinets with integrated handles are flush against the wall, the sink is built into the countertop, and the toilet is marked by a door handle just sticking out of the door frame.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

Here we see how the balcony wraps the flat’s perimeter. Even though the balcony is a little too shallow for patio furniture, the space provides a location for Kedem’s clients to circulate and provides a stunning vantage point from which to see the water and neighboring buildings.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

The kitchen counter tops and appliances hug one facet of this wall in the frequent place. True to the apartment’s contemporary spirit, the sleek appliances are flush from your cabinetry and streamlined; the one thing that minimally interrupts the sight point is the sleek curve of this faucet.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

In a space filled with curves and arches, the long and narrow dining table and the grid-backed metallic seats coexist harmoniously.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

The thickness carved out by a arch makes the ideal niche for drifting shelves and cabinetry.

Pitsou Kedem Architect

Kedem’s clients asked for a mixture of “historic asceticism” and contemporary minimalism — and they got it. Spartan common areas and neutral-toned contemporary furniture do not fight for attention, but live harmoniously inside the stone walls and arches of the penthouse. Strategically placed mood lighting leaves the kitchen and living room feel grand and spacious, even after dark.

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