Dezeen Magazine

Wall of hidden panels provides storage for renovated Tel Aviv apartment

Interior designer Maayan Zusman and architect Amir Navon designed bespoke carpentry with hidden storage space for a 60-year-old apartment in Tel Aviv.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

To make the most of the Ein Gedi Street apartment's 55 square metres of space, the pair knocked through existing walls and used wood panels to divide the apartment into rooms.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

Visitors enter into an open-plan kitchen, living and dining space, which is separated by a section of wooden panelling from the two bedrooms and bathroom – enclosed by a pair of parallel sliding doors. Herringbone parquet in the living area contrasts smooth cement flooring in the bedroom.

A small work space with a desk and chair is set into a niche in the panelled wall, which also contains "hidden" cupboards. A series of round holes in the cupboard adjacent to the living area have been designed to release heat from electronic equipment stored there.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

"The apartment is pretty small and every centimetre mattered," Zusman told Dezeen. "We wanted to provide as much storage space as possible and yet save the 10 centimetres width that a typical built wall would require."

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

"Secondly we aimed for an appearance that was different, more impressive and smooth, and we felt that carpentry would provide this," she added.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

The pair made the most of the apartment's structural cement pillars – now hidden beneath panels and used to form shelving units.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

A wall of storage also features in architects Pedro Varela and Renata Pinho's renovation of an apartment in Portugal, while Israeli architect Ranaan Stern also made the most of limited space, adapting a 15-square-metre room to create a studio with modular storage compartments.

As well as walls, Zusman and Navon designed living room tables, shelves, a bed, and the kitchen island. "We were aiming for an interesting contrast of clean yet colourful, modern yet homey, tough yet soft," said Zusman.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

Much of the furniture blends wood and metal, and the duo used found items – such as the green chairs on the balcony that had been thrown away by a neighbour.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

Flashes of colour are spread across the apartment, from the blue-painted workspace niche, to the pink of the doorway interiors, and a pale green hanging storage panel in the bedroom.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

"As the renovation took place in the summer, 10 minutes away from the beach, the summer colour vibes definitely influenced us but are anything but typical," Zusman added.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

A sliding door also gives residents access to a balcony that stretches almost the entire length of the living space, and overlooks nearby greenery.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon

"Generally, despite the fact that the space is very small we wanted the apartment to feel large, spacious and airy," the designer said.

Photography is by Gidon Levin.

55 metre Tel Aviv apartment by Maayan Zusman and Amir Navon
Floor plan – click for larger image