INTERIORS I Athens
Athens is celebrated not only as the birthplace of democracy, home to Plato's Academy, Aristotle's Lyceum and the Parthenon. Today, the cosmopolitan Greek capital is also admired for Filothei, a residential district developed in the 1920s that has remained an oasis of greenery defined by tranquillity and harmony. The house presented here is located in Filothei and was designed by the architectural practices Kallos Turin and Moustroufis Architects.
Conceived as a garden suburb, Filothei has preserved its reputation for more than a century as one of Athens' greenest and least densely built neighbourhoods, largely thanks to strict planning regulations that carefully control new construction. For Kallos Turin, these regulations became both a constraint and a source of inspiration. The clients' principal requirements were to create generous spaces for displaying their remarkable art collection while also providing a home capable of accommodating their extended families on special occasions.
The architects' greatest challenge was achieving the desired floor area within a relatively small building footprint and stringent height restrictions. The form that emerged from the combination of planning regulations and the spatial brief was a compact cube. Rather than resisting these limitations, Kallos Turin embraced them, choosing not only to adopt the cubic form but to emphasise it through a monolithic concrete structure. Concrete reinforces the building's sense of solidity, density and sculptural presence.
Although the footprint and height of the house were strictly limited, the regulations permitted below-ground construction. As a result, the garage and the art gallery were placed underground. Carefully designed sunken light wells bring natural daylight and fresh air into these subterranean spaces, ensuring they remain bright and welcoming.
Inside, the interiors are calm and airy, defined by a soothing palette of natural tones punctuated by accents of deep blue and vibrant yellow. Soft, tactile materials provide a deliberate counterpoint to the uncompromising character of exposed concrete. The owners' exceptional art collection is complemented by a carefully curated selection of modern and vintage design icons, including an Eos table by Angelo Mangiarotti, chairs by Joseph-André Motte and Gaetano Pesce, and lighting by Achille Castiglioni and Michael Anastassiades.
The kitchen, fitted with Boffi cabinetry and centred around a spectacular 5.5-metre island by La Cornue, is one of the home's most important spaces, reflecting the owners' passion for cooking. It opens seamlessly onto both the dining area and the terrace dedicated to outdoor entertaining.
The journey to the house begins at the lower level of the site and unfolds like a miniature labyrinth, following a staircase that threads dramatically through the landscape. The gently curving approach is discreetly integrated into the vegetation and remains entirely concealed from the street. Upon reaching the main entrance, positioned along the side of the house, the path wraps around the curved edge of a sunken light well. A bespoke bronze-and-brass entrance door, perforated with circular openings, draws attention to the curved geometry carved into the monolithic concrete volume.
www.moustroufis.gr I www.kallosturin.com
Photography by Ricardo Labougle, Giorgos Sfakianakis.
Words by Luminița Diculescu
Discover the full version of this story in Volume IV.