Axelrod renovates a Bauhaus-style loft in Tel Aviv

San Francisco and Tel Aviv-based architecture and design studio Axelrod has renovated an apartment in the 1934 Zamenhof Clinic building in Tel Aviv. The former medical building designed in Bauhaus-style, like many of the buildings in the neighbourhood, underwent a transformation into a residential complex with much of the original interior architecture retained.
Axelrod’s job was to bring definition and domesticity to the 200 sq m, irregularly shaped shell. Principal architect Irit Axelrod led the design, choosing to embrace original features of the building such as the rough concrete ceiling that was left exposed, as well as a heavy structural pillar and the electricity and air-con ducts.
The open plan living room space with sofa by Living Divani and chairs by Vitra.
Balancing this preservation of the architecture’s commercial character, careful attention was paid to the remaining surfaces across the apartment. Herringbone oak flooring by Dilegno brought warmth, stain-painted concrete walls brought a softer more finished texture, while glass, custom cabinetry and black steel partitions developed the identity of the space.
A free-standing container with a black steel patina finish that floats in the middle of the open plan space solved the practicalities of the design. It hides an en suite bathroom, guest bathroom and powder room, storage and a laundry room. Meanwhile, its exterior hosts a bespoke shelving system for the display of the client’s books and art, and tucked into the container’s fourth side is a neat office desk.
Across the whole loft, clever use of lighting shapes the space, creating a continuous aesthetic through wiring, fixed lights and over-sized lamps by ViaBizzuno and David Groppi.
A desk is incoporated into the central floating container.
The master and guest bedrooms are located on the other side of the container, separated by a custom-made two-sided wardrobe above which a glass wall extends to the ceiling to create a light partition, that adds to the spacious aesthetic of the loft. Sliding doors neatly extend from the wardrobes, to close off the bedrooms for privacy when required.
Stainless steel DaDa kitchen islands and aluminium grey cabinets reflect light across the space while continuing the industrial look. In the heart of the space around which daily life revolves, Eames dining chairs, a Vitra lounge chair and sofa by Living Divani further set the Bauhaus scene.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Axelrod website
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
New London show ‘Hardcore’ probes the power dynamics of desire
At Sadie Coles HQ, London, the provocative exhibition ‘Hardcore’ is a bold, explicit exploration of carnal desires and intimacy
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Parisian jewellery brand Héloïse & Abélard is championing secondhand diamonds
Héloïse Schapiro marries fluid jewellery design with sustainable methods
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Vauxhall Astra hybrid is sober and stealthy
Once a mainstay of the best-seller lists, the Vauxhall Astra’s star is fading. Can hybridisation put this modest machine back on the radar?
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Best reissues: design classics revitalised with brio
The Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022 celebrate three design reissues – from Cassina, Flos and UniFor. Plus, explore more midcentury designs reimagined for the future
By Rosa Bertoli • Last updated
-
Pierre Yovanovitch's latest residential interior in Tel Aviv is a fantasy seaside urban retreat
By Hugo Macdonald • Last updated
-
Thonet’s limited-edition chair by Studio Besau Marguerre celebrates 100 years of Bauhaus
By Harriet Thorpe • Last updated
-
Urban transformation: Kedem Shinar gives a Tel Aviv apartment a makeover
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
Luteca revives the furniture designs of Mexican modernist Michael van Beuren
By Pei-Ru Keh • Last updated
-
Top drawer: John Pawson designs penthouse for W Tel Aviv Hotel
By Ellie Stathaki • Last updated
-
Networking: NeueHouse opens LA outpost in landmarked CBS headquarters
By Pei-Ru Keh • Last updated
-
Design duo Kueng Caputo make a splash at New York’s Salon 94 with their new furniture collection
By Pei-Ru Keh • Last updated