Apartment in the centre of Athens | Kapsimalis Architects

Located in the centre of Athens, the 100-square-metre apartment, on the sixth floor of a 60’s multistorey building ‘polikatoikia’, is looking the Athenian skylight and the Hymettus mount.

The layout of the apartment was originally divided into smaller rooms with a kitchen placed in the middle and at the back of its plan and a bathroom with unusual proportions and shape.

Through the restoration, the internal partitions were stripped of, so that the living space, the kitchen and the dining area to be placed on the front of the residence, in correlation with each other, drawing the light that enters through the main façade and the sizeable balcony. The two bedrooms have been recreated in order to receive a bathroom in their interiors and the internal staircase that leads to the terrace of the building was repositioned in a direct relation to the entrance hall of the apartment.

The new interior is conceived as a space of reflections and hidden passages that aims to create an illusion of the size perception and to bring the space to life through the natural light and the mirroring of the city. For that reason, clear mirrors were applied on large wall surfaces, in order to create a visual continuity, while colorful glasses and metal elements were used additionally to strengthen this idea.

In order to mark the transition into the more private spaces-bedrooms, the back of the apartment, designed as a quiet and warm canvas with few discreet pieces to come out, so as to become more serene in contrast with the front part of the residence that tries to bring in the vibes of the city through a greater variety of elements and materials.

The old wooden floor of the residence was replaced with new solid wider oak planks in a neutral shade, while the floor of the bedrooms is covered with thick carpet in off white color. Natural oak in black & brown varnish is used for the cupboards & stable custom furniture of the common spaces, while lacquered wood in mat & glossy textures, in a beige color, is used for the wardrobes and the consoles of the more private areas. Grey/brown marble and different textures & colors of fabrics are selected for the living area and the kitchen, while smoother, off-white fabrics are selected for the bedrooms.

The use of a smooth beige plaster covers the wall surfaces and ceilings, connecting everything.

Ceramic or metallic decorative pots and plates and colorful lighting elements are the complementary objects that shape the whole inner space of the residence and complete its final airy sense.

The approach of the old apartment’s remaking was, through a sensory design, focused mostly on sight, touch & sound to create a deeper and meaningful connection with the existing space as also with the urban environment, that it belongs, while moving inside it.

Architecture: Kapsimalis Architects

Photographer: Alina Lefa

Photography stylist: Katia Maria Sarantidou