Ioanna Vlachaki

Z31 is a 140 sq.m apartment, in a 1960 apartment building located in the area of Exarchia. The main objective of the renovation was the design of a joined-up, bright and light space. At the same time, great emphasis was placed on the creation of a highly functional kitchen and on the ubiquitous integration of storage solutions. The studio demarcated the areas for overnight stays based on orientation; the living room, dining room and kitchen were placed to the south-east, while the bathroom, WC, office and two bedrooms were to the south-west.

To achieve the flow in the living areas, the walls separating the kitchen, dining room and living room were torn down. At the same time, the studio took advantage of the south-west orientation resulting in the creation of a particularly bright space. The pre-existing wooden floors were kept in their entirety, and the same logic was followed in the kitchen’s marble sink. As a continuation of this original element, Dionysos marble was used, which was combined with lacquered wood and oak, in order to give the desired feeling of comfort and intimacy. The seamless connection to the dining room was achieved through a bar – which continues into the dining room in the same materials, also functioning as a turntable furniture; while a suspended structure was designed on the island between the two spaces and oak stools were incorporated. These two volumes harmoniously embrace the dining room, and in combination with the rattan weave on the chairs, they provide the desired coziness. The inclusion of natural materials and textures in the living room, such as linens, marble and wood, enhance the carefully carefree aura that pervades the entire apartment. The day areas are placed in front of the balcony, for which a metal table with handmade tiles by Fani Boukouvala was made, creating a special unifying narrative.

On the south-east side of the apartment, specifically for the two bedrooms and the office, the same design logic was followed. Built-in elements with recesses, paneled and linen wardrobes, a rattan lamp and wooden elements create the calm atmosphere achieved in the rest of the apartment. A sense of modernism is given to the bathroom by the use of two similar mosaic tones surrounding a marble basin bench, while a triangular marble bench was created for the wc.

Athens 2023.