SHOJI HOUSE

Renovation of a private house in Binyamina in the neighborhood of Binyamina, with the addition of traditional Japanese elements with a modern twist. The SHOJI HOUSE project is located in Binyamina, a picturesque neighborhood in the center of the country with a classic European feel.

Ofrydesign studio was responsible for renovating the two-story house - the ground floor, which sprawls over 130 square meters with a 500 square meter courtyard and deck, and the second floor, covering 85 square meters.

Purpose of the renovation:
The goal of the renovation was to adapt the house for a family with two young children, the second generation continuing the residence in a 50-year-old house. To meet this challenge, it was decided to centralize the public space on the ground floor along with the children's bedrooms to create a family space for eating, bathing, and sleeping. On the first floor, the focus was on the couple's offices: a private clinic with a separate entrance (a clinic for a communication therapist specializing in children) and a home office in the high-tech field, a large play area for children, and an entertainment room with a bathroom.

Existing condition:
Before the renovation, the central space in the house was built with a kind of internal kitchen and an internal living room with half walls, creating a small and mostly dark communal space. As part of the renovation, the public spaces of the living room and kitchen were opened up, breaking down the internal kitchen walls and turning it into an integral part of the living room. The separation between different areas was achieved through furniture and lighting instead of dividing walls.

Space division:
The design of the family home is based on the principle that the first floor is the shared floor, where everyone can enjoy quality time together, cook and eat together, share a bathroom, including a soft and comfortable play area for children, and bedrooms for the whole family. The second floor serves as the workspace for the couple, with a private clinic with a separate entrance, a home office in the high-tech field, a large play area for children, and a guest room with a bathroom.

Antique furniture from the 60s:
The house incorporates refurbished antique furniture from the 1960s along with modern furniture that blends vintage with the new. The antique furniture was restored to maintain the residents' connection to the house and preserve its history. These original 1960s pieces include vintage dining chairs, an oak dining table with walnut legs, a vintage wardrobe, and 1960s vintage writing desks. These pieces underwent refurbishment, reinforcement, and rejuvenation to fit into the new space while infusing them with a fresh and renewed spirit.

Japanese elements:
These elements are combined with several Japanese-style elements, such as the Shoji door at the entrance to the house, Japanese tea serving utensils, Tatami matt, Pokkuri shoes and the Japanese principle of closeness to the ground. In the living room, low furniture is placed next to the play area on the floor, featuring Tatami mats. The Shoji door serves as the heart of the home, visible from every part of the ground floor. It is made of wooden frames with a modern twist, using perspex panels instead of traditional paper made from mulberry tree bark. The Shoji door's dynamics allow it to be opened to expand the entrance space and closed when needed, showcasing its beauty in both open and closed states, with the beautiful wood grain and different length and width strips of light.

Entrance, playroom, and Shoji door:
The entrance is divided by a hanging oak veneer divider under which modern foyer shoes are placed. According to Japanese tradition, shoes are removed at the entrance and replaced with special indoor shoes for the home area (they even have special shoes for damp areas and the garden). From here, one can choose to turn right to the children's play area embedded with Tatami mats or left to the dining and kitchen area. The children usually prefer to turn right, take off their shoes, and dive into the play area on the mats. The mats are very comfortable for playing, as they are soft and do not move like a regular mat placed on the floor but are embedded in the oak parquet and do not shift (although they can be replaced and refreshed when needed). In addition, they are made from a child-friendly and ecological material - sea grass. The children's playroom is separated by a large Japanese sliding door, the Shoji door, made of solid oak frames with perspex panels. When the sliding door is open, it enlarges the entrance area, and when closed, it easily separates the play area and the entrance area while enjoying its beauty even when closed.
Next to the Shoji door, two Tatami mats are embedded in the oak parquet, creating a soft landing as soon as the door is opened. The Tatami entrance area features a vitrine facing the garden, and above it hangs a Japanese curtain divided into three natural silk panels of different sizes, moving on three separate rails. Each part can move independently on top of the other, creating a play with desired shadows.

Dining area:
Turning left to the dining area, we encounter the vintage chairs and the refurbished oak table, along with a modern bench with porcelain-look granite covering. The dining area is a huge family corner, serving not only for shared meals but also for work, play, creativity, and cooking while sitting.

Living room and kitchen:
Continuing towards the living room, which opens absolutely to the kitchen, creating a large and bright space separated by a minimalist island with bar stools. In the living room, there is an artistic painting created directly on the wall using various thicknesses of textured plaster. The entire kitchen is made of carpentry in combination with oak veneer.
Several round niches remain next to the stairs, reminiscent and connected to the heritage of the previous house, and a trace of terrazzo flooring on the stairs themselves, which once covered the entire house and now remains as a warm memory.
The deep kitchen wall received a Japanese interpretation with delicate vertical and horizontal lines, including a secret giant drawer for laundry, opening from the side.

Bathroom:
The guest bathroom and the shower in the previous house were renovated and combined into one spacious bathroom suitable for the whole family, using a large carpentry cabinet for storage and laundry.
This detailed translation provides a comprehensive understanding of the renovation project, its design principles, and the incorporation of Japanese elements and vintage furniture.

First Floor - Office and Clinic
On the first floor, there are two offices, a shared play area, and a guest room with a bathroom. The first office is, in fact, a clinic run by a communication therapist who works with children. Inside the clinic, there is a walnut tree stump used for play, and on it, there are various activity boards such as a magnetic board and a pegboard. The room is designed in a calm and minimalist style to avoid distractions and allow the child to focus on therapy.
The home office is designed in a warm and comforting manner, incorporating a diverse range of wood elements such as wooden chairs, a wooden table, a wooden shelf, and parquet flooring to enable long and comfortable working evenings into the late hours of the night.

Play Area
In the common space on the first floor, there is a free play area for children. The corner consists of tatami mats and cushions in various shapes, sofas that open into mattresses – providing a space for energetic activities as well as a place to relax on the soft surface, with the light from the paper lantern. Paper lanterns are an additional traditional Japanese element, creating additional layers of light and shadow.

Garden
The front part of the garden is paved with decking on which a spacious seating area, a dining area, and concrete furniture are placed. The garden is designed in a minimalist spirit, almost like a path with different stations. At the entrance, there is a large carob wood structure that extends over almost the entire front garden of the house. On it, there is a wooden house for play with a swing. The broad tree provides shade over a significant part of the deck. Later on, the garden features a Japanese Zen corner with Zoysia grass and a small fountain, a large fabric-covered entertainment tent with a seating area and a fire pit, and a geodesic dome climber – a space full of activity and adventure for both children and parents.

Photo Credit: Tal Brushel
Carpentry Credit: Smithwood