Henkin Shavit Studio Design deploys shades of oak and ash for a tranquil home in Tel Aviv

How much oak is too much oak? Elucidating this dilemma is the Natural Modern Home in Central Tel Aviv by Irit Henkin and Zohar Shavit of Henkin Shavit Studio Design, a firm with an adept hold on architectural planning and interior design.

Designed for senior clients who sought a home as pristine as a temple, the 1,080 sq ft space is a sanatorium from the relentlessly restless, culturally and colourfully saturated outdoor world. 

A staid monochrome environment engulfs the indoors of the home. A whoosh escapes the lips upon witnessing the curated tranquillity deluged in tonal symphonies of natural oak and greys.

With the first step into the threshold, a sedate living area comes into view. A diaphanous sofa in shades of brown and straw putty colligates with svelte Le Corbusier armchairs—model LC 1 from the 1930s. A wood centre table strengthens the contemporary narrative and nods to modernity with its part-stone top. 

A handmade Piazza rug of the German brand Paulig Rugs accentuates the natural shades of the parquet. The entire apartment features natural oak flooring. 

Orit Goldman’s soothing artwork charms the white walls in the space. In a corner, a teak wooden dresser from the ’60s paired with a lamp from the ’70s by the Italian designer Carlo Nason intrigues once eyed. 

To the right of the apartment’s entrance, a round dining table under a minimalistic lamp by ASAF WEINBROOM define the dining area. A natural rope carpet reinforces the rustic, monochromatic theme. Danish wooden skeleton legs beneath the round glass top display synchronicity with the slim, renovated school bench from the ‘60s. 

Hans Wagner chairs from the ’50s rub elegance into composition and establish a connection with the sleekness of the kitchen. Sans a tactile separation from the dining area, the kitchen has a granite stone-covered work surface on one side and high closets with a stainless fridge and oven on the other.

A black stripline of air conditioning running throughout the width of the closet wall detaches it from the ceiling. As an ode to the Art Nouveau artist Émile Gallé, glass vases placed in the kitchen and living room confer a natural volume to the classic design.

Hereon, a narrow corridor leads to the guest room and en-suite bathroom. Designed keeping in mind visiting children and grandchildren, further emphasis is laid on the respite from the outside chaos. In the bathroom, a birch closet hosts a sink, a mirror and designated space for a washer and a dryer. 

“Originally, there was only one bathroom in the home. A challenge was to create an additional private bathing space for the owners”, reveal Henkin and Shavit. The new bathing space, connected to the primary bedroom by a sandblasted glass door, flaunts a classic sink cabinet of the Italian brand Falper sitting harmoniously amidst walls and floor covered in grey stone tiles.

“The vertically grooved oak wood is deployed as a unified puzzle. This element is in the kitchen wall cover and recreates itself as a double partition between the bedroom and the living room. The partition includes a secret aisle door to the quietest corner of the apartment—the primary bedroom”, Shavit and Henkin make known.

Round oak handles on white wardrobe shutters face the multilayer birch bed-back. Disconnected by 45-degree cut boards and glued back together to create one whole grooved surface, the back of the bed is the crowning glory of the space.

“Usurping reference from nature is now more important than ever. The studio turns its attention to contemporary modern architecture by abandoning contemporary raw materials. We are currently designing exposed concrete houses as well as designing interior spaces from old stone houses”, concludes the duo of Henkin Shavit Studio Design.

If this Tel Aviv home enthralled you in its warmth, make sure to see this New Delhi home full of old world charm by Navya and A Quarter