Project at 25 Ha'rakevet Street
For this project, Cosy Casa completely restored and remodeled an old preserved Arab house. We began as the initiators, and were also responsible for the planning and execution, as well as the interior design of the apartments and the development of the area.
The original house included an extra floor with roof tiles and additions that didn't belong to the original stone house. So we demolished this and exposed the original front of the house, in all its glory, because these additions were placed on the front of the house and hid all the special elements.
On top of the original house, we built two more floors and one roof top floor, similar to the original roof of the house. The stone that was chosen is identical to the original stone and this was in order to blend smoothly between the old and the new, as we wanted the construction to be a harmonious continuation of the original and the new. In all the new openings of the house, doors and windows, there is a reference to the details in the original openings, to the size, shape and stone details.
The entire character of the new building is drawn from the original house that was very dominating in the area, even though it only had one floor.
We tried to maintain the dialog of the original house with the "next door" houses, an Arab house on one side and an International style house on the other, so that the new addition would not disturb the balance in the street, but rather enhance it.
The bars and gates are also inspired by the original details that were in the house, for example: the bars on the windows were very full of details, so we took one detail only and added the extra ones to the rails of the balconies in the new floors.
The color choices for the windows frames and all the details were inspired from the trees and plants around the house (gray green) in different shades that suit the Jerusalem colors.
On the inside of the apartments, we also tried to maintain an organic harmony between the old and new. The client requested that the floors be large and practical, the original flooring of the house were 20 by 20 cm. and very colorful. So we combined the original and new by adding, in very specific places in the apartments, rugs or area definitions, like: "here is the entrance and here is the living room"
The level of finish in the apartments is very high quality, and the facilities in each apartment are of the highest standard: an inverter air conditioner system + sub floor heating , electric light shutters, electric nets, in combination with smart electricity system, the quality of the carpentry and the materials we chose were selected according to the client's wishes.
The clients that bought the apartments in the project were given close accompaniment, until they've entered their apartments, in all issues relating to the interior design, the inside planning and choosing materials and colors in the apartment.
The ground floor was bought by a family living in Australia, who didn't came to Israel much during the construction of the building and their apartment. They came to the apartment when it was already furnished and accessorized and almost all of it contents including, kitchens, beds, living room furniture, dinning room, bathrooms, linens and towels were chosen by Cosy Casa to their complete satisfaction.