Lior and Shiri Haimovitch were ready for a change after years of living in cosmopolitan Tel Aviv. So the two youth classmates — he conducts an online security website; she’s a community social worker — moved their family to a moshav, a cooperative agricultural community with a slower rate. Its environment is much like the one they grew up in, spending hours outside and adapting to gardens.

The few tapped designer and architect Orly Eran, who’d remodeled the home for previous owners, to help replace the dark flooring, add large windows and liven the backyard, which makes the home lighter, brighter and family friendly.

at a Glance
Who lives here: Lior and Shiri Haimovitch; children Yaara (age 9), Omri (6) and Rotem (5 months); and their 2 dogs
Location: Moshav Misgav Dor, Israel
Size: About 240 square meters (around 2,580 square feet);3 bedrooms, 3 baths

Esther Hershcovich

When the Haimovitches transferred, the cellar was a dark, uninviting storage space. They divided it into a glowing office and playroom by substituting 8-inch windows with larger ones and adding a doorway to the outdoors.

The family replaced the couch’s black upholstery with a lively red, and had an expansion built to create it a sectional.

Coffee table: Dalia Armoni; shelving unit: Habitat; framed prints: Andy Warhol Famous Quotes, MoMA

Esther Hershcovich

Vintage bits from New York and California adorn Lior’s office space.

Esther Hershcovich

The Haimovitches made the shelving and had the blue buffet and computer desk custom created. The Formica art over the midcentury piece is part of a pair of 2 awarded to Shiri by her parents upon her completing her graduate degree.

The classic typewriter belonged to Shiri’s grandfather, who had married his first love and brought her to live with him in Israel. The typewriter was used by Shiri’s grandmother to stay in contact with her family. “We keep telling the story, and my kids know about their grandparents. For me it is very special,” Shiri says.

Esther Hershcovich

Whitewashed hardwood flooring brighten daughter Yaara’s top-floor bedroom. A red pullout armchair becomes a bed for sleepovers.

Esther Hershcovich

Shiri gave her daughter that the choice of five background designs, and she depended with this one. Shiri then chose the complementing striped pink background.

Wallpaper: Goldstein Tapet Gallery

Esther Hershcovich

The couple’s son will soon be sharing his space with his infant sister, but for now he wanted to participate in the design of his chamber. He chose the beanbags, the wall colour and his mattress sheets.

Esther Hershcovich

Esther Hershcovich

A collection of classic mirrors hangs over a salvaged college desk at the main bedroom.

Bookshelves: Habitat

Before Photo

The couple eliminated walls and opened windows on the main floor to bring in sunlight, and moved a bath at the bottom of the staircase to the second floor.

Esther Hershcovich

AFTER: Eliminating a wall and replacing the flooring helped create the main floor light and glowing. The buffet, painted and weathered blue, came from Shiri’s great-grandfather’s café in Tel Aviv.

Wallpaper: Goldstein Tapet Gallery

Esther Hershcovich

Architect Eran made these floor-to-ceiling bookshelves to adhere to along with ceiling’s mountain. The armchairs are from Shiri’s great-grandfather’s café. She had them reupholstered from their first leather.

Shiri loves Dr. Seuss. Many pieces inspired by the writer hang around the home, including this limited-edition character.

Ottomans: Tollman’s

Esther Hershcovich

A formal seating area just off the library leads to a terrace.

Green seat: Peacock Chair, Dror

Esther Hershcovich

Shiri had local artist Bosmat Gal paint her dining chairs in vivid mismatched colours.

Before Photo

A former version of this kitchen felt dark and closed off.

Esther Hershcovich

AFTER: The prior family had opened and expanded the kitchen. The Haimovitches left the countertops and cabinetry, but changed all the flooring from brown tiles to white ones. They eliminated the light fixtures and the tiles that covered half of this walls, repainted everything white and inserted a new bay window.

Esther Hershcovich

When the couple bought the home, the backyard was unkempt and sloped down to the fence. They worked with landscape artist OC-NOF to level the ground and with Eran to build a wooden deck connecting the living area to the yard.

Round seat: Tollman’s

Esther Hershcovich

A barbecue grill sits close some salvaged wine barrels infused into additional table space.

Esther Hershcovich

The family’s moshav has branched out since its early days, and while it does not provide agricultural solutions, the family maintains an edible garden filled with olives, lemons, herbs, lavender and tomatoes.

The outside table easily seats 12 and is traditionally used for family dinners, including fresh ingredients from the garden, and for entertaining guests.

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