L House

This house, built in the 1980s, is located in a quiet and highly valued neighbourhood in Ramat Gan, a city just ten minutes from Tel Aviv, Israel. It was purchased by a family of five, who knew it needed a massive renovation but waited patiently before going through with it. Four years later they renovated the first floor, where the bedrooms and bathrooms are located, and finally, after waiting another six years, they reached out to interior designer Maya Sheinberger, in order to make their dream come true and renovate the ground floor.

“The owners asked to keep the basic floor plan and to focus on creating a unique and creative space” says the designer. Before redesigning the interior, she replanned the entrance to the lot and the front yard, which was originally lower than the ground level of the house. Using a wooden deck, she managed to create a leveled platform to the yard, which is now on the same level as the living space, thus creating a spacious living area and for indoor and outdoor family time and entertaining. To maximize the link between the indoor and outdoor areas, she opened a large glass corner window in the front facade.

Inside, The asymmetrical ceiling was replanned in order to create a continuous space and add much needed lighting. The back wall in the living wall was covered with white bricks, that enrich the space with minimalistic texture, while covering up the uneven existing wall. The original floor tiles and staircase were covered in concrete microtopping and black lighting fixtures, matching the new aluminum window frames, were added.

A wide glass door, located in the center of the house, divides it to two main areas - on the right hand side are the living room and dining area, and on the left are the kitchen, an extra room used as a pantry, a guest bathroom and a door leading to the backyard, where an intimate seating area was created. The guest bathroom was redesigned, using a monochrome textured wallpaper and a white corian countertop, contrasting the black custom-made cabinet.

The main feature in the living room is a double sided bookcase made out of wood, which doubles as a banister for the staircase, next to it a comfortable reading area was designed. New furniture were percused to match the new modern look of the space, while maintaining an eclectic vibe using artwork and items the owners have collected through the years.

Three round windows in the dining area replace the previous long and narrow window, they add an interesting and playful composition to the space while allowing the greenery outside to peek through.

In the kitchen. The original wooden and rounded cabinets were replaced with a bright and contemporary design. It was divided into three main sections - the back wall was colored in white and features storage cabinets and the stove, the long concrete colored worktop is located underneath the big windows and features yellow cabinets with black drawer handles, and next to it is a wooden textured countertop for the family to gather and have light and casual meals together. The refrigerator is located on the opposite wall, along with extra storage.

Even though the first floor was not renovated this time around, the couple wished to take advantage of the massive changes and freshen up their room, using a colorful wallpaper with a pop-art style print.

Photo styling: Ofri Paz