MáS studio brings subtle modernity to 19th-century ottoman house in tel aviv

jaFFa house by más studio: where tradition meets modernity 

The Jaffa House is a 19th-century Ottoman building in an old and pleasant section of Jaffa, overlooking Tel Aviv’s skyline and the Mediterranean Sea. Led by Meital Mayorchik Saris from MáS Studio, this renovation project seeks to give a clear expression to that seam where the cultural character of the house meets a contemporary architectural style – that place where the old meets the new and where tradition meets technology.

The challenge lay in maintaining the building’s existing traditional architectural character while creating a place that adapts itself to the life of the young family of six living in it. ‘The idea driving this project was not to compete with the existing cultural and architectural elements in the house, but to join them, to emphasize them, and to be open to the results of some surprising choices,’ writes the architect. 

all images © Shai Epstein, courtesy of MáS Studio

Jaffa house was initially built in customary Ottoman fashion – as a collection of spaces arranged around a large central room that forms the heart of the structure. The architect decided to strip away all the layers of materials that were added over the years of periodic renovation and reveal the building’s original structural fabric. ‘Using new materials and technologies, we created a contrast that both retained and emphasized the traditional elements of the building’s construction,’ notes Saris.

The large central room has been turned into a library in which antique tools and contemporary objects from the owner’s collection are displayed, reinforcing the conversation between the building’s original cultural characteristics and modern architectural ideas. For example, thresholds in doorways have been replaced with the same Carrara marble found in the pillars supporting the arches. Furthermore, an entire wall made from Kurkar, a type of sandstone along the coastal areas of Israel and Lebanon, was found hidden behind a layer of wooden paneling and now, exposed, forms a central structural feature.

The house is one where cultural and architectural elements with heavy and traditional furniture impress with its beauty and yet is cold and formal, one that is not suitable for a young family looking for a place to relax and escape at the end of the day. Therefore, as a final intervention, in the less formal living room of the two, MáS Studio created a wide bench covered in Moroccan plaster, which serves as a place for reading, playing, and relaxing. 

Jaffa House by MáS Studio is a 19th-century, renovated space in Tel Aviv

the central room library with antique and contemporary objects displayed

maintaining the building’s traditional character while creating a place that adapts to its young owners

a relaxed and warm-toned living area counteracting the formal, traditional furniture

parents’ bedroom opening onto generous views of Tel Aviv

1/12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

name: Jaffa House

location: Tel Aviv, Israel
design: Meital Mayorchik Saris (MáS Studio) | @ma_s________

photography: Shai Epstein | @shai.epstein.photography

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom