Designer and artist Itamar Paloge carved his own home in to a mountain side in Jerusalem. His extensive studies and experience in a variety of creative endeavors, including jewelry, sculpture, and classical drawings are evident here. For it seems that only a skilled artist can happily live without unnecessary ornamentation. Here the lack of rigid geometry along with the texture and imperfections of nature and hand craftsmanship create unparalleled warmth.
The facade is built of thick walls of red clay. An arch top door is central to the main volume. The iron work on the two flanking metal windows mimics that arch. One square and one rectangle, the salvaged windows look on to the welcoming stone slab courtyard.
The shared living, dining, and kitchen are at the front of the house. The stone slabs continue inside and, combined with the burnished honey colored plaster walls, evoke coolness regardless of outside temperatures. A petite dome with circular sky windows delineates and brightens the living space. The kitchen cabinets wrap around the windows at the front and side. For heating, a cast iron stove is centrally located.
Carved out of the mountain, the sleeping space steps down from the living area. Separated only by color and a room-wide arched opening, it is spacious and sparsely furnished. Deep arched niches and one rectilinear in shape display the depth of the enclosure. The open bath’s entrance is softly curvy and delineated by a ribbon of white separating the honey color from the bath’s sea blue walls and ceiling.
Architects: Itamar Paloge
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