House in Ramot Hashavim | Halel Architecture & Design

Size of the house: 300 square meters in three storeys - basement, ground floor and first floor.       Size of lot: 750 square meters

The tenants: A couple and their three teen kids - two boys and a girl.

The house: The couple has moved to Ramot Hashavim from Raanana. They were looking for a spacious lot to build their house on, with a contemporary Mediterranean resort-like atmosphere. The design concept was clear to all of us and was developed quite fast - A light country house, consisting of warm and cold shades as a calm setting to all objects, items and happenings in the space. The choice of light shades of gray in combination with white and hued oak-tree was natural and consistent all over the house. Within the harmonic surrounding, authentic items and colorful furniture are integrated, giving the space its unique character.                                                 The expansive lot, interfacing an orange orchard, has a feeling of a positive disconnect.  It is significantly higher than the adjacent lot, providing a sense of privacy and intimate environment. When we first came to see the lot we were exposed to its potential and we knew we would want to plan here a place that integrates the outdoors and indoors in a total connection that empowers both.  A house that will bring the outdoors inside and a garden that will wrap the house and will create indoor spaces of outdoors touch. We sought to create an in & outdoors that together bring out a sense of wholeness. To create an experiential authentic, relaxing and intimate living environment, that will embrace the family as well as serve its members and make their time pleasant. The couple was very much brought together of their desires regarding the division of the space inside the house. They asked us to plan for them an extremely spacious ground floor that will consist of a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, a family room and two bedroom units – small suites for the two boys. The grownup daughter wanted her bedroom unit to be in the basement and the couple asked us to plan their spacious bedroom in the upper floor. We decided to plan a structure in the form of the letter L and to divide the house in a schematic form into two sections - private and public. The “public” section is the shared space, where most activities of the house take place. The private section consists of all bedrooms, bathrooms and service areas. The public section is placed in one storey. On top of it there is no residential floor, therefore we chose to exploit the roof tile space and create an impressive ceiling of exposed wooden beams that enhances the sense of a wide open space.  The private section consists of three storeys. In the basement, the daughter's room, in the ground floor the boys' rooms and on the top floor, the indulging parents' unit, overlooking the garden.
In the niche that was created between the two sections, we placed the pool so it can be viewed from almost anywhere in the house.

From the entrance gate, a grey and rough bluestone walkway leads directly into the main space. This is a classic, defined space in its form, with a high and dominant beam ceiling and many windows, turning the garden into an integral part of the house. The space is almost entirely divided symmetrically into four sections. In the front of the entrance and in direct view at the pool, the dining room is situated to the right and the kitchen to the left. In front of the kitchen and the dining room, on both sides of the entrance hall, the living room is situated on the right and the family room on the left. Every function is well defined on its own space by means of furniture and lighting. Upon the wall heading to the large garden, between the living room and the dining room, we chose to create a brick wall with an authentic country look and a fireplace at its center. The fireplace constitutes a sort of focal point, connecting all these sections of the shared space.  The kitchen was located at the center of the shared space, overlooking the pool and the sitting area of the garden. In order to provide a convenient operation and an efficient usability in the kitchen, we added a walk-in, hidden and spacious pantry through one of the tall kitchen's woodwork.                                                                          

Each of the children’s rooms is an independent unit, including a private bathroom and an exit to garden. The parents' unit on the top floor is very spacious. The tall, wood beam ceiling makes the bedroom romantic and enchanting. In the bedroom we designed a free standing wall which defines a division between the sleep area and the clothing storage space.                                         The wall is covered with bricks and stands-alone with no side or ceiling connection.  It creates a sense of a very large room and divides, in an unconventional way, the various functions. The bed is leaned against the wall and the closets are hidden behind it. At the corner of the room we chose to place wide windows overlooking the orchard, the garden and the pool.                               The parents' bathroom was designed in a classic minimalist ambience. In this bathing room there is a fine balance between authenticity and clean design. The rough stone floor, in various sizes and diverse shades, is giving a wonderful setting to the minimalist sculptural bathtub positioned on it.

The sitting areas in the garden are an integral to the house experience.                                         The exterior surface was covered with rectangular bluestone tiles. Beside the pool, we designed a pleasant pergola, combining bricks and white wood beams.                                                             Under the pergola, on the wonderful space consisting of the in & outdoors, we placed outdoor seating and a huge dining table,  both inviting and enticing to sprawl and hang out,  as well as to host and be hosted.                                                                           

The lot further provides a huge lawn area that in itself is a celebration for the kids and their friends. A trampoline, basketball and of course football gates are definitely inviting a play.             Furthermore, one cannot ignore the immense impact of the pool as situated, on the entire house and the various garden areas. The house as a whole enjoys an ambience of freedom and a relaxing atmosphere that is obtained thanks to it. Together with the classic, light and harmonic design a feeling of true and relaxing disconnect is achieved. A fun feeling that brings a true desire to simply stay and never wanting to leave.