Renovation of a 35 sqm micro-apartment
Residential, Renovation - Athens, Greece
2023 (ongoing)
Client: Private commission
Phase: Developed design documentation
Objective of this project is the renovation of a tiny, 35 sqm micro-apartment in Athens, Greece. The apartment will have a dual use: firstly, as a short-stay space for the two owners and their partners, and secondly, as a place to host friends and family when visiting the city. We designed a space with lots of character and colour that expresses the creative personalities of the two owners, both working in the arts industry. With this in mind, we selected a varied palette of materials which makes the apartment unique and original. The apartment is located in a conventional, every-day building of the 1980s. Three are the characteristics that attracted both the owners’ and our interest, and we decided to preserve and incorporate in the new design: the ceiling’s wraparound decorative gypsumwork, the large marble fireplace cladded with firebrick, and the natural wood floor parquet. On the other side, the existing floorplan of the apartment lacks ninety-degree straight angles and parallel walls, due to the building’s unorthodox shape, which is a result of the plot’s geometry. This difficulty resulted in inefficient spaces and corners, as well as the usage of small furniture. These challenges made us simplify the apartments’ layout, and create an open kitchen where the island is the centre of daily life. To enhance the feeling of openness in this small space we decided to remove the bedroom’s wall and to replace it with a custom-made wooden partition. This partition consists of four doors that, when closed, can isolate the bedroom offering privacy, and, when open, completely unify the bedroom with the sitting area. The varnishing of this woodwork in concert with the colour palette of the materials enhance the sense of coziness and warmth in the apartment.
Publications
Media