A redesign of a 105 square metre apartment in an old Jerusalem stone building, done before the building itself was rebuilt.

The building was so old that every stone block had to be taken down and numbered, then put back when it went up again with extra floors on top. The clients had seen the original architect's plan and would only buy the apartment on one condition: that I redesign it.

It was the last apartment left in the block, and the only one without the view. Every other apartment faced south; this one faced the street. What it did have was daylight and a line of beautiful trees. So instead of giving the big windows to the bedrooms, where people only sleep, the bedroom and living areas were swapped so the living space got every bit of the light and the trees.

The new flow runs from a small entrance hall into a kitchen with an island, through the dining room, out to the balcony and on to the living room. Neutral colours, a high-end kitchen with glass cabinets for reflection, and built-in cupboards and storage everywhere: the tricks of bringing more light into an apartment and letting three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large living area work for a family in 105 square metres.

The bathrooms got an interleading door, so guests can use them while the bedroom doors stay closed, and with the door shut, the main and second bedrooms each work as en-suite.

Fifteen years on, an art school has gone up on the south side, and the apartments that bought the view now look at a building. This one still looks at its trees.