I have been wanting to write about the house I grew up in for a long long time, this week I found a copy of a magazine it was photographed in a few years ago. My dad is an architect, a Pratt graduate, he and my mom (a painter) built this house in Tel Aviv in 1964 soon after they moved there from NYC. The house was photographed in many major magazine at the time and was considered and still is quite amazing. Made from concrete blocks painted white with black tile floors and a ceiling constructed of long concrete panels and rows of windows to max the light, the rooms were designed around a middle inner patio and are in fact a series of open balconies looking into a middle space.
My mother stayed on after my parents divorced and lived in the house until she passed away in 1996, I went on to moving back and forth from NYC to Tel Aviv and in 2000 we moved into the house with our 3 kids, the photos were taken in 2004. When we moved to the USA 3 years ago my sister and her family moved into the house, they still live there today and the house has again evolved to accommodate them.
The black and white photos were taken in 1969, you can see how my parents had it furnished at the time, they had wonderful taste, very funky and colorful with wonderful blown up plastic furniture, great textiles and ethnic art,the house was always changing, my mother loved to move things around and recreate the space over and over again. When we moved in we changed things once again to our liking, mainly brighting up the place such as painting the big sliding doors white, closing off some of the open spaces with giant white canvas curtains that gave us some extra privacy and using the main inner patio as a dining area with a big country table in the middle.
It's a very interesting transition from that house to the one we live in now and not always an easy one, we mainly consider our present house to be temporary,a rental we ended up buying, trying to make the most of but not our dream home yet.
I still crave big white open spaces,high ceilings, and skylight and we hope one day to create just that, a house that has all those elements that I grew up with, but that also has a mix of modern country,funkiness and warmth.
The middle inner patio with it's 20ft high ceilings with glass panels, this space is actually a lot wider then in the photos, the balcony rooms are the living room on the left first floor, master bedroom on the right first, studio on the right second:
in this photo you can see the house in 1969 on the left, the same space in 2004 on the right:
My parents in 1969 sitting in the chairs photographed from the second balcony (notice all the funky blown up furniture...I loved those)
the living area in 2004 photographed from the top room:
the master bedroom and top room photographed from the living area (2004):
taken from the kitchen looking into the inner patio and dining table (2004)
A view from the winding stairs, my mother's paintings hanging on the giant white wall, again in reality the space is much wider then in the photo:
I am sorry for the poor quality of the photos, they were printed on newsprint paper and hard to photograph...
I have many happy memories of visiting that house, and of staying there. Once, Nora and I climbed up on the roof to clean the skylights...
Posted by: Ben Dattner | September 03, 2008 at 07:03 AM
De-lurking to tell you how fascinating the photos of your childhood home are! I've been following your blog for a while now (and wondering how long ago you left Israel - your written English is excellent!). Now I know all! By the way, I love the latest cards. Do you print them at home?
Posted by: Lisa | August 23, 2008 at 01:53 PM
I remember your home i visited your mother NORA who was my educator,It was friday afternoon most rainy day in years soop on the fire..I was very impressed it was 20 years ago..
Posted by: ayelet | August 22, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Wow! What a privilege it must be to have grown up & lived in such a beautiful, creatively designed house!And that patio is so lovely!
Posted by: ninainvorm | August 21, 2008 at 06:45 AM
Oh how lovely! The light and the lines of the stairs are just fantastic - what great central elements to design around!
Posted by: Diana | August 20, 2008 at 09:26 AM
I love looking at photos of the same thing but in two different times, so interesting. Pretty House. Thank you for sharing! Will it always stay in the family?
Posted by: brandi | August 17, 2008 at 02:21 PM
wow - what an awesome house. I bet you could stare at the pictures for hours with your memories. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Kay | August 15, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Beautiful house and comparitive pictures - great to see not too much has changed!
Love the inflatable furniture circa 1969 :)
Posted by: MKDC Interior Design | August 14, 2008 at 10:25 PM
What a HOUSE! I really think that you can judge people's character by how they decorate their house--yours was obviously filled with interesting people and lots of warmth.
Posted by: Jen | August 14, 2008 at 03:56 PM
What an amazing house. I love the contrast between 1969 and 2004, I like both looks for different reasons. Of course, you have such a warm, rich, comfy aesthetic that really appeals to me. Your mother's paintings are beautiful as well. It must have been an open creative upbringing you had. How wonderful!
Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Danette | August 13, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Fantastic.....I love it......I bet you miss it......it would be lovely to see how your sister has it now.......I absoulutely adore your new home too!....
Rachel x
Posted by: Hilda May | August 13, 2008 at 04:25 AM
Wow...what an awe-inspiring home to grow up in. It looks like a space that truly nourishes the creative spirit!
Posted by: Tami B. | August 12, 2008 at 09:12 PM