Project: Apartment in Haifa
Interior design: Ela Morgan
Interior & wood design : Haim Shitrit
Location: Haifa, Israel
Area: 180 m²
1st floor: 90 m²
2nd floor: 90 m²
Year: 2020
Photographer: Shiran Carmel
The apartment on Einstein street in Haifa has an area of 180 square meters, and is located in an apartment building. The apartment is located on the third floor, at the height of the streets’ treetops. It has not been renovated since the 1970s.
In this apartment you will immediately notice the unique design fingerprint, the fact it is possible to dare, integrate different materials in the most special way you can imagine and create a house different than what you’ve seen so far, so you will not miss de designers’ signature.
The interior designer – Ela Morgan live and work with her partner Haim Shitrit who is a wood and interior designer – artist carpenter.
After many years they lived in separate homes, in which they were forced to “patch-work” and renovate different parts of the house and not entirely, they decided to seek for a property that needs an overhaul so they will be able to bring their vision to reality, renovate every corner to the preciseness they imagined, even if it was along the renovation process as in this house, the design was brought to life throughout the renovation.
When they saw this apartment, the view to the Haifa bay together with the fact it is a duplex – divided into two separate floors, and the ability to section the house into two independent living spaces – The ground floor – the partners “show-room” – served as a place where they hold friends and family gatherings, business meetings with their customers ( and potential customers ) that can face their design and carpentry skills, what you can refer to as their “ showroom “, where the second floor, utilized as the designers’ children living floor, designed specifically for their needs, with the option to have an external elevator leading directly from the house entrance to the second floor and create a separation between the two sections of the house .
Morgan shares that they spend most of their time in the first floor, where you can find the “public area “ – living room, kitchen, a balcony to the amazing bay view and their master bedroom. Their home office is also part of this section, and customers are invited to witness the design – so basically everything is in reach so they have no need to go up to the second floor – the early design and planning of this house was based on functionality and convenience rather than climbing the stairs all day long.
As the couple are part of the interior design world, they decided that during their dream house renovation, the word “practical” will not be said and heard and that there are no rules -but an exemption – the only rule that lead this design together was boasts a variety of natural materials. All the rest came to life in this renovation journey.
Morgan and Shitrit’s belief is you can dare and take your interior design high, as long as it is proportional – everything can go along together.
Morgan implements this and explains: “with little courage you can mix and match where others don’t even dream is possible “: their stairway is made out of wood and basalt, the stairway banister is another unique example – integration of different materials: metal bands, glass, wooden poles, and finally black iron. Yes – all of that in a single stairway going all the way up from the first to the second floor.
According to Shitrit’s vision, there are designs you just can find in stores – his personal touch, lead to a unique and remarkable carpentry, and no matter where you will look at their home you can witness a pinch of courage to differentiate and get things look and feel different – the industrial air-conditioning is covered with a wooden element of a black ceiling and a remarkable lightning from which a couple of air conditioning duct are derived – to again create something different.
When you enter the house, a geometric wall paper is paving your way all the way up to the second floor, where you can witness the geometric repetitiveness on different materials – the carpentry is etched according to the wallpaper pattern to create a similar but different look.
The division into individual living spaces results from using different flooring material – the living room (located between the balcony and the stairway) flooring is covered with wooden parquet.
At the center of the first floor, we will find the kitchen, and a surprisingly use of basalt stone is used as its flooring – serrating the living room from the master bedroom.
The asymmetrical basalt stone is also used at the balcony only in a different pattern – Fishbone.
The living room was designed to the minimum use of materials and furniture’s in order not to create a design- load as the tall brick wall facing you while watching the TV or just sit on the couch having a mice conversation .
When facing this magnificent brick wall, you will see the black air-conditioning duct, and the cupboard with a unique etched pattern against the wall.
At the Kitchen it is hard not to notice the great kitchen cupboard standing proud from floor to ceiling, again build from etched pattern colored in light Gold – where Morgan again proves us that gold wooden carpentry with aluminum fridge and stove is a worthy combination.
The lower cupboards where you will find the kitchen sink and the clean marble משטח are colored in light grey, and in the center of the kitchen the wooden kitchen-island stands showing off its different pattern on each side.
The designer created a master bedroom, 35 SQM that includes bedroom, a waling closet, and a master bathroom that hosts the washing machine and the dryer.
The use of geometric patterns is also evident here – wallpaper, etched pattern doors, glass and the headboard lining.
The bedroom is filled with textured – textile where the curtains, pillows and headboard speak the same language as the painting hanging on the wall against the bed.
Morgan and Shitrit also designed the master bedroom’s door with two different sides – the one facing the kitchen has a golden חזית matching the living room and kitchen carpentry while facing the master bedroom, it is colored in light grey\blue as you will find in the walking closet.
The second-floor motive is the basalt stone in different cutting shapes – the hallway, balcony and the kitchen floor are covered in fishbone cut basalt whereas the living room area floor is cut into sections.
The kitchen cupboard and the utility cupboard (where the second set of washing machine & dryer are located) are colored in deep turquoise, facing the bay view.
The two bedrooms are located on the other side of the second floor, separated from the living room with a yellow wall.
At the second floor restrooms you will find an antique dresser colored in fuchsia pink holding the sink (also – in a very geometric shape)
Morgan and Shitrit are planning an elevator that will lead directly to the second floor, something that will separate completely between the first and second floor – residential suite for Ella’s sons.
