{"id":356130,"date":"2026-03-24T20:57:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/356130\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T20:57:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:57:14","slug":"inside-cat-friendly-seaside-apartment-makeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/356130\/","title":{"rendered":"inside cat-friendly seaside apartment makeover"},"content":{"rendered":"

When most people hear the word \u201csiblings,\u201d they think of petty fights and long-standing grudges. But Dotan, 41, and Yasmin, 47, Cohen decided they would rather design together than argue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started about a decade ago,\u201d Dotan says. \u201cYasmin and I bought a rundown apartment in Ramat Gan, and honestly, I don\u2019t know where we got the courage.\u201d Their mother gave them a sum of money that allowed them to invest in a 1,076-square-foot apartment. At the time, they hired an interior designer for the architectural plans. The gamble paid off. They bought the apartment for 1.48 million shekels, renovated it on a tight budget, and sold it a few years later for 3.1 million. \u201cIt was snapped up,\u201d Yasmin says proudly. \u201cA lot of that was thanks to the design.\u201d<\/p>\n

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13 years later, one man\u2019s apartment gets a fresh new look<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

You had no background in design before that?
\nDotan: \u201cI studied industrial design and later worked as a space designer at an IKEA store in Netanya. Yasmin studied education and later worked as an executive assistant at a high-tech company.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do two siblings decide to design together? Doesn\u2019t that lead to fights?
\nDotan: \u201cIt actually started for practical reasons. We have an older sister who was already settled with her own apartment, and Yasmin and I were still figuring things out. We decided to buy a place as a rental property, but after designing it, we fell in love with it and moved in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yasmin: \u201cWe both had a natural inclination for design and saw the potential in the large space. Our mother didn\u2019t. She held her head and wanted to yell at us for even considering buying it. But after the renovation, she had to admit we were right, and we realized we worked well as a team and needed to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n

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interior upgrade with custom carpentry, no walls torn down<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

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Upgrading the home for himself and his cats<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

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A dream wall for the cats at the entrance, doubling as storage<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

After the renovation, Yasmin enrolled in interior design studies at Shenkar College. A year later, the siblings launched their joint studio, SPACE-CHANGERS. At first, they balanced the business alongside full-time jobs, until long nights made it clear they needed to commit fully. \u201cYasmin left her job first and started running the business,\u201d Dotan says. \u201cIt took me a bit longer to feel confident enough to leave IKEA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their collaborative work revealed their complementary strengths, which they brought into their latest project: redesigning an apartment for a single police officer in Rishon LeZion. His brief was unusual: the design had to accommodate not just him, but also his two cats.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cats are his whole world,\u201d Dotan says. \u201cHe\u2019s an amazing guy, and I have no idea how he\u2019s still single. He takes care of them extraordinarily.\u201d<\/p>\n

The owner bought the four-room apartment about 13 years ago, after living in Tel Aviv, in a building near the beach. \u201cHe got the deal of a lifetime,\u201d Yasmin adds. \u201cHe bought it for about a quarter of today\u2019s prices.\u201d<\/p>\n

The apartment was in good condition but felt dated. \u201cHe wanted a refresh, with a sense of luxury and integrated solutions for the cats,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

What challenges do pets create in a home like this?
\nDotan: \u201cThere are quite a few, like odors, shedding and fabrics cats love to scratch. We addressed all of them. For example, in the utility room we installed a special litter box system where the cats climb up, do their thing, and the waste drops below. Everything stays clean, and most importantly, there are no odors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yasmin: \u201cWe chose leather-like fabrics that cats are less inclined to scratch. Even the dining chairs are upholstered in a fiber-free material, so they can\u2019t dig their claws in.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Before the redesign<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yasmin and Dotan Cohen)<\/p>\n

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The living room, with claw-friendly upholstery<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

Alongside pet-friendly solutions, the designers prioritized durable materials that could withstand the coastal climate.<\/p>\n

The owner\u2019s sister also joined the process, helping refine design choices. \u201cThey have a great relationship, like we do,\u201d Dotan says. \u201cAnd she has excellent taste, so it worked out perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The color palette draws inspiration from the sea view, sandy tones and golden sunlight reflecting on the waves. \u201cThat\u2019s how we landed on calm shades of stone, earth and gold,\u201d Yasmin explains.<\/p>\n

The entrance opens into a central living space that includes the living room, dining area and balcony. The layout posed a challenge, with a hallway opening positioned too close to the TV wall, making the living room feel cramped.<\/p>\n

The designers solved this with a custom walnut wood wall featuring a hidden door, creating the illusion of a larger, continuous space. The wall extends toward the entryway, incorporating playful climbing features for the cats, named Safam (whiskers) and Shmulik, and continues into the kitchen, reinforcing a sense of flow.<\/p>\n

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The dining area beside the living room, featuring ostrich sculptures<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

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In the kitchen, only the cabinet fronts were replaced with darker finishes<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

The wall integrates open and closed storage, a TV, a fireplace and, at its base, a discreet passage for the cats leading to the utility room where their food and litter are located. \u201cWe wanted all the cats’ systems hidden but accessible,\u201d Yasmin says. \u201cThat way, the home stays elegant and tidy, and the cats can move freely without disruption.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the living room, the designers selected a sand-colored leather sectional with electric recliners. \u201cUsually, these sofas aren\u2019t very attractive, but we found one by Nicoletti that\u2019s both elegant and comfortable,\u201d Dotan says.<\/p>\n

Two armchairs upholstered in synthetic fabric sit opposite, with stone-toned seating and leather-like backs in a warm clay shade. An abstract rug anchors a pair of coffee tables with black wooden legs, one topped with smoked glass and the other with marble. Above them hangs a brass light fixture with a marble element.<\/p>\n

When the designers couldn\u2019t find suitable artwork, Dotan created a piece himself, echoing the rug and marble finishes. A soft white curtain balances the textures and tones. The balcony was designed as an alternative lounge area, with a sofa, armchairs and a table featuring Thai-inspired motifs, creating a relaxed, vacation-like atmosphere.<\/p>\n

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The table extends to accommodate large gatherings<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

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The artwork created by the interior designer specifically to suit the apartment<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

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The inviting balcony, designed with a seaside vacation feel<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

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Thai-inspired touches<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

To the right of the entrance is the dining area, designed for large gatherings. The designers chose an extendable table made of scratch-resistant material and chairs upholstered in pet-friendly fabric. Above the table hangs a marble light fixture with leather straps. Gold-finished ostrich head sculptures on the wall add a playful touch.<\/p>\n

In the kitchen, only the cabinet fronts were replaced. They were painted black in a high-temperature finish to complement the apartment\u2019s overall palette. Additional cabinetry was added around the refrigerator, and veneer matching the custom wall was used to ensure material continuity. Brushed gold handles tie in with the lighting.<\/p>\n

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The bedrooms before the redesign<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yasmin and Dotan Cohen)<\/p>\n

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The bedroom after the redesign, including features for the cats<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

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Tropical wallpaper in shades of blue and gold<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

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A media wall with a fireplace<\/p>\n

(Photo: Yonatan Tamir)<\/p>\n

The bedroom was also redesigned, featuring a tropical wallpaper in blue and gold behind the bed. Pendant lights and soft curtains enhance the relaxed atmosphere. This room also includes climbing features for the cats. Opposite the bed, a TV sits above a decorative fireplace with ambient lighting.<\/p>\n

And what do the cats think?
\nDotan: \u201cThey immediately took to it. They came in, started playing with everything, like it had always been there. The best part is that months after the renovation, the client is still sending us videos of them running along the activity walls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yasmin: \u201cFor us, that\u2019s the highest compliment, that the flow of the home remains seamless and everything is functional.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When most people hear the word \u201csiblings,\u201d they think of petty fights and long-standing grudges. But Dotan, 41,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356131,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[437,434,435,436,438,146,85,46],"class_list":["post-356130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}