Kolonaki Residence

There is a lot of entering light to greet you upon arrival at the entrance of this recently renovated apartment, with a new architectural configuration that creates the impression of a seemingly larger property post renovation. Occupying the fourth door in its entirety, of a 1950’s residential building in the ever-classy Kolonaki neighborhood of downtown Athens, the renovation entailed gutting the whole 130 sq m interior of what was previously a two-bedroom apartment and converting it into a three-bedroom apartment with a spacious, light-filled living area and open kitchen. That being the key challenge, the apartment has now also been bestowed with a contemporary, refined and pragmatic aesthetic aiming at enhancing the experience of the everyday for a family with two children.The inherited structural grid of beams and columns was completed geometrically in the living area with added ceiling volumes to conceal air conditioning, ventilation and audio surround systems and highlighted with linear lighting. The continuity of pristine white vertical surfaces is interrupted only by the tactile stone texture and grey tone of the three main structural columns, dressed in burnt black granite slabs. A mat oak floor, traces of which also emerge in the handle detailing of the bespoke kitchen cabinets and extendable oak dining table, compliments the composition of the earthly palette of materials. Mirror surfaces merely impose an impression of endlessness for certain perspectives of the living area. And a hint of black textures is ever-present. Essential to the aesthetic of this apartment and the way it is supposed to be experienced is also the design of interior doors. There is a reason behind all five of the different door designs. Mainly the skirting forms a continuous line with the doorframes; where there exists one to frame the mat white lacquered doors with invisible hinges. But for a narrow corridor, the bedroom doors were designed to be full-height with hidden doorframes that were installed prior to dry wall construction. The pivot hinge door leading to the rear bedroom forms a continuous surface with the wall when closed and an uncluttered corridor opening when open. A full-height sliding mirror panel in the rear bedroom provides access to the en-suite bathroom. Similarly, a sliding mirror panel becomes a design concept in the living area, where it forms part of the bespoke, symmetrical bookcase, preserves privacy by not denoting that it is a door providing access to another two bedrooms and reflects a framed view of the dining area and kitchen.This project is not one of many in the Athenian city centre. It is a testament of what could be considered as a successful recipe, not commonly executed today, that entails the gut renovation of worn out interiors of beautiful post-war residential buildings standing in a neighborhood that, with the passing of time, hasn’t lost its character, neither its vibe. Aesthetically upgraded, reconfigured to reflect the contemporary lifestyle and technically designed and equipped to support it, those properties may only gain in value and are still very sparse.

Anastasia G. Filippeou - Architect

Photography: Vassilis K. Makris