Dezeen Magazine

BSR House by This Is It

Storage unit in Israeli home allows family to display an edited selection of their clutter

Prized ornaments and pot plants are displayed in the niches of the bespoke steel and oak storage unit Tel Aviv studio This Is It designed for a home in Israel's Central District.

BSR House by This Is It

Set within the town of Shoham, BSR House has been occupied by the same family for over 20 years and has largely gone untouched.

With their two children now grown up, the clients approached architecture and interior design studio This Is It to create a more refined and contemporary space with areas for relaxing or entertaining guests.

BSR House by This Is It

The 100-square-metre property had previously been a series of cluttered rooms that featured yellow stone floors and old, peeling carpentry.

"The clients kept saying how they are minimalists when it comes to their personal space, and how they love when all is neat and in order," This Is It co-founders Noa Kedar and Tal Nisim told Dezeen.

"But so much stuff was lying around it was just so evident that they were totally lacking order and storage space."

BSR House by This Is It

The designers started by completely stripping away the home's ground floor, removing drywall partitions to form an open-plan kitchen and living area.

Finished with soft grey stone flooring and brass skirting boards, the kitchen is designed to evoke a sense of "warmth, comfort and discretion".

BSR House by This Is It

A large storage unit was then erected to tuck away the client's possessions and instead display their most prized ornaments.

Black gridded shelves crafted from raw steel are partially covered by oak and white timber panels, one of which can be slid back and forth to show or hide the television during social gatherings.

BSR House by This Is It

"We realised a big storage unit could not only help conceal an extra bathroom they'd asked for, or hide the TV, but it could be a vast space for placing their things in a tidy manner while still displaying some selected items in an edited way," Kedar and Nisim explained.

BSR House by This Is It

The new guest bathroom follows the material palette of the rest of the ground floor, and has been decorated with a selection of metallic and clay plant pots from Danish homeware brand Ferm Living.

Space was also left over for a reading corner, which clients can easily transform into an extra dining area.

BSR House by This Is It

French studio h20 has also cleverly concealed client's belongings by inserting angular storage volumes into a Sceaux apartment, while Italian practice AIM has covered the walls of a Milan home with cupboard doors to obscure utilities such as radiators.

Photography is by Matan Katz.