Apartment in Athens #4
“An apartment in the area of Papagou, home to a multicultural family with roots in Europe and Asia, was renovated with a view, firstly, to showcasing the cultural wealth at the heart of the family in a playful and light-hearted manner, free from the weighty representations of heritage and, secondly, to streamlining forms and decluttering spaces, making them conducive to a peaceful and creative coexistence.
The kitchen remodel, which consisted of interventions both inside and around the actual room, was central to the project. Previously, the kitchen was an outmoded, dark and rather oppressive space. Its entrance was clumsy and gave off an awkward vibe, while space inside it was organized in such a way that it failed to accommodate the family’s furniture and to adequately serve their needs. In its new version, the kitchen becomes a canvas for the harmonious interaction of materiality, texture and light, evoking a sense of tranquility, openness and joy. There is a play of different textures: kitchen cabinets incorporate metal and wood which combine to create distinctly sculptural yet weightless forms; the old terrazzo floor is revealed to gently hark at the apartment’s past, as is the raw concrete of the two columns at the entrance to the kitchen which is left exposed to add to the evocative symphony of textures and light that make up the space. The entrance to the room has been given a complete makeover: two walls have been torn down and replaced by corresponding ceramic walls, an emblematic structure visible from all of the apartment’s main spaces, intensely tactile and suggestive in its play with light, setting the tone of the project and providing the apartment with a clear identity.
The intriguing dialogue of materials that underpins the entire project is carried on in the apartment’s originally bland and visually unchallenging bathrooms. In the main bathroom, tiles, concrete and microcement finishes as well as metal create an atmosphere of casual intimacy, while a smaller bathroom serving the family’s teens is painted a bright color and fitted with rgb lighting, giving off a sense of cheeky punk-rock vitality.”
–text by Natalia Bazaiou
Architect Natalia Bazaiou Associate Yiannis Katsiavos Photos Alina Lefa
