An innovative classical interior residential project in Kefalari with abstracted detailing and fresh classical colouring scheme. (1997-1999) Not implemented.
This project involving two large classical residences and pool-house, was conceived in parallel with the architectural scheme in its finalization stage. This involved final floor-plan design, and landscape-garden design in the immediate vicinity of the residences.
Classical interiors, with prototypical innovative custom designed detailing for the particular project, with meticulous custom design of walls, ceilings and floor patterns, to match precisely designed and constructed spaces with rigorous geometry. The warm, bright and airy colouring scheme is also both classical but also fresh and innovative, featuring warm hues in surrounding walls, and airy and light bluish green ceilings with warm exceptional highlights. It also involved hardwood floor patterns, precisely custom designed to match the rigorously enforced geometry of all reception spaces. The proposal involved a very sophisticated lighting scheme with both indirect lighting and direct lighting with dimming capabilities, consistent with the geometry of the rooms and the matching ceiling design.
Modern amenities required provisions for full air-conditioning of all spaces through practically invisible slits plus sophisticated direct and indirect lighting through the prescribed false-ceiling design. Due to budget considerations, but also advice from contractors with interests focused in the ease of implementation and other advisors, a lighter far more conventional approach was requested by the owners for the interiors of both residences. This was executed to final construction documentation with the same elaborate provisions for amenities-air-conditioning etc. It is presented as a separate interiors project, due to the quite different design concept involved.
Saronis Interior Design in a small Sea-side residence.
In tandem with the design of a garden, and the intervention in the elevations complete structural enhancement, this was primarily an interiors project as no additional building was allowed in this prime sea-side location close to Athens. Thus existing built space was both limited and extremely valuable. and existing volume had to be preserved, and utilized in the best possible manner. Both the interiors and the previously completed garden layout were of course coordinated with the volumetric layout of the residence and thus this involved a uniquely compatible whole.
Convincing rough materials compatible with the more than 50 year old structures found in advanced disarray, were enhanced by modern structural provisions for safety, and then finished with slick, high-tech installations and functional amenities, to create an environment where the ‘old-traditional and rough’ is contrasted with the ‘new-modern and shiny’, an interplay of textures towards a highly functional whole with great economy of space. Besides naturally coloured plaster and oak-finished high quality windows and shutters, natural finishing materials included two-coloured marble floor designs, custom-designed with rather unconventional innovative layout. Quite enthusiastically encouraged by the owner, the proposed curved wavy designs were complementing the design of the main living space containing prototypical features of circular plan for guest bathroom and stair-well layout that were proposed as quite helpful in conserving valuable space and consistently compatible with concealing otherwise un-interesting restrictive vertical structural system elements, which were given in this particular renovation. The floor-designs also helped linking interior-and exterior space as they continued out-doors and were linked with the overall design of the garden which also contained extensively curved forms both in plan and volume.
Rough natural materials, most prominent in the initially commissioned lower house, were juxtaposed with slick high-tech finishing materials for modern installations, elegant modern amenities and practically invisible air-conditioning system through innovative custom detailing on all interior finishes for all main spaces. Modern minimal abstracted detailing with custom designed prototypical oak sliding picture windows and safety roll-type oak shutters, slick functional custom-designed marble bathrooms, open custom designed kitchens, discretely laid-out in quite constrained space, elaborate false ceiling & lighting designs characterize the small scale project and the main residence in particular.
Office Space Interiors in the Central Premises of Alpha Bank in a complex of Restored Listed Buildings. (2012-2014)
The February 12, 2012 organized arseny of several buildings in the centre of Athens, involvedin the case of Alpha bank, two of its neighbouring central interconnected buildings, the Panepistimiou 41 ‘Nicoloudis Mansion’ and the Ex. Popular (‘Laiki’) Bank at the corner of Panepistimiou (45) & Pesmazoglou streets.
After the critical structural enhancement and complete meticulous restoration of all the separate, severely damaged listed buildings, detailed interior finishes and furniture design, coupled with arrangement based on the current functional requirements of the Bank, were necessary in all buildings. In cooperation with the designer Eleni Manouilidi, a re-design and adaptation of previous designs and arrangements during the 1998-2008 period by the same architects, was of course necessary, in order to meet the constantly changing specifications and requirements of the owner, one of the four systemic banks in Greece. Designs were of course re-adapted to ensure compatibility of the ever changing functional requirements with the carefully re-proportioned architectural elements of the building after its structural enhancement and the mandatory provisions for optimal fire-resistance. The project, in both damaged buildings, involved both open space layout of furniture and extremely particular listed classical spaces of very different and specific characteristics, proportions and resulting challenges in the design. In some cases surviving furniture either within less damaged spaces of the building complex, imposed further restrictions. Whenever possible, a bright, light, cool professional environment was offered, making the best accommodation of all restrictions and requirements of the owner regarding furniture globally utilized by the bank and in some instances existing furniture, some of which was restored and other reconstructed based on designs by the architects. An off-white discretely coloured interior throughout, displaying professional elegance and cool dignity was selected for the open plan interiors of the Nicoloudis mansion. In the main reception spaces of the Ex Popular bank, wood custom-made furniture of abstracted classical style was constructed and finished based on detailed drawings and instructions by the architect.
The Benaki Museum Library project. Detailed study-and implementation 1995-1996.
Based on initial provisions by the restoration of the Benaki Listed Neoclassic building Complex, since c. 1989, regarding the excavation (with appropriate waterproofing) of an additional level below the existing contour of the listed building (essentially within the existing foundations) the detailed interior project for the design of a two-storey library was commissioned in 1995. The top storey, at approximate the same level with the basement of the neo-classical building that was to be reserved for use by the Museum’s offices, and with the director’s office in immediate proximity, was to serve as a designed reception space, while the lower level would be utilized for storage of books, with movable racks in order to best utilize the limited space available.
Technical complexity aside as the space was to be constrained by the foundations but also the aesthetic and practical considerations imposed by the masonry listed building, the design was in tune with the classical surroundings, at least for the top level that also received guests. For compatibility with the rest of the project, it was decided that lighter in construction, abstracted wall-mounted book-cases would be combined with exceptional classically designed free-standing bookcases in order to stress the classical layout of the space, beneath the main classical exhibition gallery. Nine such free-standing bookcases were included. A prototype had been built earlier by the architect for confirmation and control of the details.
Multiple alternative plans of the classical reading-administration space of the library, had been considered. A very useful additional space on the side contained book stacks, but also an office and a separate entrance with stairway. . A detailed lighting study was also executed with the final proposal compatible with a wide range of potential furniture arrangements within the space. The pristine, abstracted functional 2nd basement level containing the movable racks with wall covering from warm-coloured Brazilian ‘capao-bonito’ granite, in contrast with stainless steel accessories, was accessible for fire-safety purposes by two independent stairways with similar aesthetic treatment.
