Veere Grenney transposes his classic style to a light-filled newbuild apartment
'The great maxim while working on this project was: time is not of the essence. And, if you live like that, life is far less stressful.' Veere Grenney is describing the temporally luxuriant attitude he and his clients adopted while they brought what is now an impossibly glamorous apartment to life. Bought off-plan as a holiday home for an English couple and their extended family, the apartment takes over the top two floors of an attractive high-rise in Tel Aviv with sea views. 'Too often people think time is something they can control,' he continues. 'When you are working in a bespoke way, it just takes time. But it's always worth the wait.' In fairness, a series of planning issues also conspired against progress, which meant it took a staggering 12 years to get from blueprint to bolthole. 'We managed to finish a wonderful house for the clients in London during the process as well,' Veere adds.
'When we first saw the plans for the property, it looked like a car park it was so enormous,' recalls Natasha Greig, Veere's longtime right-hand woman and his studio's creative director. Thankfully, the designers were brought onboard at an early enough stage to make some significant changes, notably in the placement of the apartment's independent lift and the addition of a striking, sculptural staircase. The latter is now one of the defining architectural features of the impressive, double-height main space, which snakes its way round roughly half of the fully glazed building.
It is a huge volume to contend with and one that takes great confidence and skill to tame. 'In some respects, spaces like this are a bugger to furnish,' Veere admits. 'You don't want your clients to feel like they are living in the reception of a grand hotel.' The brief was to create a home where family and friends could gather en masse, so it required plenty of seating. A Berber carpet on a larger rug creates a comfortable island refuge on a sea of polished concrete tiles in the soaring main space, with a mix of seating that could easily accommodate 10 or more: just off this is an area with two Pierre Jeanneret lounge chairs - the ideal spot for more intimate conversations. The space progresses to incorporate a dining area and its live-edge walnut table by US company BDDW and, finally, a kitchen, which is partially concealed by a half wall. With three different terraces and balconies on this floor alone, you can imagine that it is a wonderful place to host parties.
Just next to the dining area is a library-cum-television room, which sits under the run of seven bedrooms upstairs. It is separated from the double-height space by a series of raffia panelled screens, which pivot open or closed at the touch of a button. The screens have a slightly Japanese feel, which ties in nicely with a number of furniture designs by the Japanese-American woodworker George Nakashima that Veere and Natasha decided to include. Their idea was to add a strong element of mid-century craftsmanship and plenty of natural materials. Alongside the Nakashima furniture, there are interesting pieces in wood by other American designers, including Paul Frankl, Adrian Pearsall and Paul McCobb Elsewhere, there are rattan chairs, sisal lampshades and cane stools, some of which have a Scandinavian accent. 'In a concrete box, you need lots of texture to make it feel human,' Natasha says. 'Otherwise, it feels like a mausoleum.'
Veere emphasises how grateful he is that the clients allowed him ‘such freedom to conjure up what we did’ and explains how he and Natasha made good use of their collection of contemporary art. The tall walls in the main sitting area are wonderful for large pictures such as Alan Davies abstract Patrick's Delight and Shelta by John Hoyland. Art is a feature in every room - including one further double-height space.
Behind the aforementioned staircase is the main bedroom, its high walls lined in an ochre-coloured hessian. 'We wanted it to be warm and contrast with the blue of the ocean you can see beyond.' says Natasha. This colour was inspired by the 'Byzantine rooftops' of surrounding buildings, which, she explains, they wanted to bring inside. A Cogolin carpet covers much of the concrete floor, giving a friendlier feel underfoot, while outrageously long curtains - nearly six metres long - add a more domestic look to enormous, industrial-style windows. It is a room that feels far cosier than it has any right to.
Over the years, I have had the pleasure of visiting a few projects designed by Veere Grenney - from a huge country pile and a beach house to a small pied-à-terre - but this is the first newbuild project of his I have seen and the first I have visited outside the UK. It is interesting to see his style transposed to such a different environment. In short, it works incredibly well. He has a distinct way of blending the contemporary with the classic, the decorative with the minimalist, the tailored with the relaxed. Veere is a designer whose work, with its modern spirit and seemingly infinite expressions, travels very well.
Veere Grenney Associates: veeregrenney.co.uk
Christopher Horwood1/6In the TV room, cushions in MM Design linen and Vanderhurd's ‘Grande Etoile’ pick up on the wall in Rose Tarlow's 'Glacis' cassia glazed linen, showcasing a George Shaw painting. The curves of a Paul Frankl table and an Adrian Pearsall chair echo the Vladimir Kagan-style sofa.
Christopher Horwood2/6In the upstairs sitting room, a Turkish-style sofa in Rogers & Goffigon's 'Tundra' in bearberry, with a rope trim and cushions in Guy Goodfellow Collection and C&C Milano fabrics, is paired with a Paavo Tynell floor lamp from Modernity, Stockholm. The cork-lined alcove above showcases a Barbro Aberg stoneware vase and creates an interesting textural contrast to the Stereo hessian wallcovering. A George Nakashima walnut sideboard and Linney Cooper matting lead the eye down the corridor to an artwork by Lucian Strindberg Boyle and a Peter Collingwood wall hanging.
Christopher Horwood3/6A lavastone-top table, designed in partnership with We Make Extraordinary Objects, and chairs by Richard Schultz for Knoll offer an ideal spot to take in views of the city and coast.
Christopher Horwood4/6The main bedroom features bespoke wallcovering and curtains in mimosa 'Townline Road' from Veere Grenney Collection establish a wonderfully warm feel. The walnut surround is the backdrop for two works in paper by Carmel Ilan and a headboard in Sandra Jordan's 'Prima Alpaca' in the curry colourway, from Holland & Sherry. The blanket is from Rose Uniacke. A Phillip Lloyd Powell lamp and a Japanese sculpture sit on the Pierre Chapo table in front of a Fiona Rae painting.
Christopher Horwood5/6
Christopher Horwood6/6Curtains in Métaphores 'Aspen' in armagnac tone with headboards in MM Design's cayenne 'Delave', Sandra Jordan blankets and a Jennifer Manners rug feature in the twin room. The walls are in Schumacher's ‘Nishi Weave’.
