The Blushing apartment. | Aviram - Kushmirski

“And the apartment seemed to blush”. Before beginning the planning process, we wanted to feel and sense the apartment. Our visit began just as the sun was setting and what we could see was stunningly beautiful. Shades of pink and gold in the setting sun’s rays flowed inside, painting the walls blush and gave the space a magical appearance, as if it was blushing. It was such a captivating sight, we knew immediately that we would use it as much as possible to guide the design.

The concept we formulated based on that magical sight, was to create synergy between the outside and the inside. As the daylight hours pass and nature changes, those changes are expressed within the space, where they create a dynamic dimension.

We are fervent supporters of the use of natural materials and custom made designs. From our point of view, that is the best way to express the excellence we want to create, such as the aesthetic emanating from the theoretical or links with the location, ideas very close to our hearts. Beyond that, with our great respect for the skills of those creating handmade artifacts and our recognition of their authenticity, cooperation with artists and artisans is integral to our day to day work and this project – the “blushing apartment”, became a very significant journey.

We were fascinated by colorfulness created in the apartment at sundown and as strong advocates for the use of metals, our idea was to combine the warmth and rosiness in copper with the elegance in yellow gold brass as the optimum way to express those colors. Taking that idea one step further, we set out to crack the code that would allow us to translate it into firm ideas. Each metal has its own properties and behavior, so the way to combine them and create a new material thereby, is based on taking them back to the elemental and then recombining. This is an unusual technique requiring work by hand using a cold spraying process, followed by hand polishing. The results from hand worked processes on coated surfaces are never entirely identical and they exhibit the value of the human touch. It was a fascinating journey in close cooperation with the artist executing the work, including an endless number of experiments on the way to reach the precise hue and texture.

The impressive appearance of the blushing coating, metallic and soft at the same time, is an integral part of the apartment on constructed walls, carpentry walls and facades. The visual wealth it creates is immediately recognizable as an artistic element in every sense.

 The other materials used in the space were selected to complement the cladding, but at the same time, they echo the close proximity of the sea and the colors of the sand – A range of beige colors, grey and garage. The oak parquet flooring underwent a pre-determined process – It was grooved and sprayed to instill depth and a multi-layered appearance. Natural stone with a wild, terrazzo look exposes and emphasizes the energy it contains. Natural wood with a rounded, striped texture exposes the layers within the material. Black steel is also used. Along with the walls and the clad elements, the use of all those materials is a theme throughout the apartment. It is a continuum of materials which is at the same time both limited and rich and it creates a distinct, special, coherent aesthetic.

 The tight design is expressed in every object within the space – All the furniture, lighting, decoration and art work are based on natural materials.   

 Photographer name: Oded Smadar