EDM private home renovation, Kfar Saba

EDM

Renovation of a private house // 280 square meters

Kfar Saba

2023

They reached out to me after I had accompanied their close friends in renovating their home in Even Yehuda.
A few years ago, they purchased a private house in the Park neighbourhood of Kfar Saba, a significant leap for them after living in apartments over the years. Upon moving in, they did a cosmetic renovation with a minimal budget, and now, after living in the house for a few years and with their daughters growing up, the conditions were ripe for a more comprehensive and in-depth renovation.

The main reason they reached out to me was their need for a hosting kitchen. Both of them enjoy cooking at the same time, often hosting large groups, and the kitchen originally in the house didn’t meet their needs. I was invited to their home for an initial meeting, something I usually don’t do, but the personal connection made me deviate from my routine, and I really wanted to see the house for myself.

At first, the renovation only included the entrance floor, but after a thorough tour of the house, I told them that, in my opinion, by the end, the renovation would include the entire house and that it would be better to measure the whole house 😊 Spoiler - I was right.

Throughout the renovation, my ability to look ahead and slightly push them out of their comfort zone, combined with their understanding after a while of what I meant, was affectionately called the 'adoption range.' After more than a year of guiding them, I noticed that this adoption range shortened, and there was more 'blind' trust, even though they still couldn't see what I saw.

The journey home begins with a minimalist white fence and a stone-like tile-paved path leading to the garden, which was eventually renovated as well. One of the homeowners' dreams was to add a fully equipped outdoor kitchen to the garden. The entrance door is part of a system that combines a flush door with a black iron wall cladding. Opposite the entrance stands the staircase, which has been covered in walnut-coloured parquet. The railing, which previously adorned the staircase, has been replaced with a minimalist rod railing featuring unique separation details at the junctions between the flights. Hanging in the stairwell are light fixtures in the shape of fabric lampshades, mesmerizing in their transparency. On the floor is a ceramic cairn by " Maiyan Ben Yona." The staircase stands in the middle of the ground floor's space - to the right is the living room and dining area, and to the left is the kitchen and guest restroom.

The living room space is simply relaxing. Right at the entrance, there is a beautiful piece of art by Chen Chefetz, who paints landscapes of kibbutzim and Moshavaim in an awe-inspiring way. At first glance, it seems like there is no air conditioning in the living room, but it is cooled by a hidden unit for which a custom carpentry piece was designed, framing the exit to the garden. The windows, in a natural aluminium shade, do not create a strong contrast with the carpentry and light walls, offering stunning views of the garden.

On top of the cabinetry that stretches along the TV wall and also serves as a bench during hosting, a floor-to-ceiling lamp by the Italian company FLOS is installed. This is excellent ambient lighting, perfect for those moments when you're sipping a glass of wine with friends in the living room.

The dining area was painted black, and a light fixture by Itai Bar-On was installed above it. The dining area is surrounded by an aluminium system with transparent connections, allowing the green from the garden to flood it.

The kitchen is a mini project within the project, rich in storage areas, featuring an impressive wine cooler, concealed spaces for electrical appliances, and even unique drawers for cutting boards, with the island and work surfaces clad in natural stone with greenish veins, while in the corner of the kitchen, there is a zero-line door clad in the same material as the kitchen fronts, providing access to the guest restroom, which used to be a separate entrance from the house from the parking lot, but by relocating the guest restroom there, we created maximum openness in the floor space (previously, the restrooms were adjacent to the stairs).

On the first floor, there are 2 bedrooms and 2 offices. Both partners have been working from home quite a bit since the pandemic, and it was important to have two offices that could operate simultaneously. The husband's office is located opposite the stairs and is enclosed with a glass wall, allowing additional natural light into the stairwell and creating a sense of a larger space in the room itself.

The master bedroom remains in its original location but its shape has changed from end to end. Instead of a closed closet room with open shelves, we created, similar to hotel rooms, a passage with closed wall cabinets that lead to the bathroom. This room is clad in travertine-like tiles, which are matched to the colour of the cabinet and the sink surface. The room itself is all in one tile, creating a luxurious feeling.

The general bathroom serves their small home; it is covered with a green and white geometric tile from the Italian company Mutina, alongside simple white tiles to create the right proportions between texture and tranquillity.

In the attic lives their daughter, a soldier; they planned for her a room that is a kingdom, to come on weekends to host friends in the spacious room and the small adjoining balcony. The room is equipped with two closets that make optimal use of the geometry of the roof and the room itself. The closet located opposite the door contains open compartments visible from the entrance.

To the "Before" pictures.