Haifa High-Tech Family Transforms Haunting Home Into Light-Filled Polish-Inspired Haven
A Haifa-based family of high-tech professionals and parents of two enlisted interior designer Liat Shmichi to renovate their 180-square-meter home in Atlit, Israel, inspired by a charming cabin they vacationed in Poland. The couple had lived in the house for 12 years, during which it developed numerous issues including leaks. They wished to recreate the cozy, light-filled atmosphere of the Polish cabin for year-round living.
The renovation began with upgrading the 200-square-meter garden, designed with landscape planner Dror Simon to attract butterflies and create a magical ambiance. The old wooden deck and pergola were replaced with smooth Galilean stone paving and a semi-transparent pergola cover that blocks sunlight but allows natural light inside. Trees were removed to brighten the space, and the original brown fence was retained for budget reasons.
Inside, the entrance door was replaced with one featuring a large window to increase light. The main living area features a herringbone parquet floor, a turquoise vintage-style entrance cabinet from Haifa’s Bluma May store, and mismatched custom sofas to evoke a collected look. A handmade floral rug and a custom bookshelf with seating complete the cozy living room. The dining area includes a round wooden table and vintage flea market chairs, with a large new window replacing a glass wall to maximize daylight.
The kitchen was reconfigured to fix previous design flaws, adding an extra cabinet unit in a lighter turquoise shade and a work surface with a bird’s eye finish. The backsplash uses rectangular marble tiles arranged horizontally to mimic brickwork, fulfilling the owners’ request for brick walls without compromising practicality. The family kept their two-year-old refrigerator, fitting it into a custom niche allowing future replacement.
The guest bathroom was expanded slightly by shaving wall thickness and features partial ceramic tiling with washable wallpaper above, vintage-style fixtures, and accessories sourced from secondhand shops and AliExpress. Upstairs, the master bedroom was opened up by removing gypsum niches and features a black rug, an iron bed from Penthouse Basic, and side tables from Bluma May. Doorways to the bathroom and closet were widened to 80 cm for accessibility. The bathroom continues the floral tile theme with brick tiling up to 120 cm and water-resistant paint above, complemented by vintage faucets, creating a fairy-tale atmosphere as requested by the owners.
