Exposed

Sometimes all you need is a client who is willing to go with you.

Sometimes all you need is to strip back the layers—to scrape them away and remove them.

Sometimes all you need is to set fear aside.

Sometimes all you need is not to invent something new, but to look more closely at what is already there.

Sometimes, it even works.

The old, unconventional Tel Aviv apartment we took on was created in the 1990s—a great decade for music, but less so for architecture. Split levels, lines that did not meet, an oversized central core, and an aggressive structure all seemed to work against us.

The sketches would not take off. We explored one direction, chose another, tested, flipped, and rotated, but nothing worked. Everything felt stuck, with no clear path forward.

Meanwhile, we asked for a technical inspection of the ceiling. By noon, we received photographs that were nothing short of astonishing. Hidden behind layers of blocks and plaster was a small, mysterious, and powerful universe.

Blocks can be removed. Plaster can be scraped away. And a mysterious, powerful universe is something worth revealing.

We spoke with the client, who immediately agreed to join us on this journey. We asked the contractor to remove all the unnecessary layers. We convinced ourselves not to be afraid, because this really could work. We realized that what already existed within the ceiling was more compelling than anything we could design and add.

A year later, we believe it worked.

Architect in charge: Einat Mor

Project manager: Niv Meir

General contractor: Ziv Chen

Lighting: Karnei Tchelet

Kitchen: Habitat

Carpentry: Niv Raz

Air conditioning: Aklim Line

Furniture: Habitat, Tollmans, Prat Living

Sanitary ware: Hezi Bank

Parquet: Parketeam