When Zahi Wasserstein Ronen found an entire small building for sale in downtown Tel Aviv, he and his longtime friend and former design school classmate Roi Shachnai jumped at the chance to purchase it.

Their idea was to create a new, two-apartment home on the site for the eight members of their families. “Building with or without friends is awful, but it’s definitely easier with friends,” jokes Roi.

After an 18-month build, a four-story home with open and airy living spaces rose from the compact, 2,000-square-foot lot. Designer Yulie Wollman’s concept—a sleek, industrial villa—unifies both homes through materials and color.

Board-formed concrete framed by matte-black steel makes up the bulk of the structure, with vertical wood slats on the top floor’s street-facing facade adding a soft touch to the brutalist-inspired home.

“We gave the architect a hard time by being ourselves, by being very stubborn.”
—Roi Shachnay Chen, resident

But the defining feature is a glass wall that stretches from a rooftop skylight all the way to the basement. Wollman created it by pushing two feet out from an interior wall—the result is natural light cascading through each level like a waterfall.

“Yulie typically does large homes; it’s her forte,” says Zahi. “We didn’t have a lot of space, but she made our home feel like a big villa.”

Together, the house comprises seven bedrooms—one a safe room in the basement, currently used by a nanny—open living/dining/kitchen areas, and another safe room in the upper apartment, used as an office.

Zahi’s family occupies the basement and first levels, which include a lap pool and Zen-inspired garden. Roi’s family lives on the next two floors, where they enjoy sweeping views of the city from their balcony, which also has a garden.

“As time goes on, we appreciate the house more and more,” says Zahi. “I don’t want to call it a masterpiece, but for us, it truly is one.”

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Yulie Wollman / @yuliewollman

General Contractor: Erez Kaliffa

Structural Engineering: Sayag

Landscape Design: Nurit Bracha

Interior Design: Yizhaq Ronen

Cabinetry Design: Karnit

3D Models: Yuval Wasserstein

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