BESSA+S has completed the renovation of a 50 sq.m. apartment in a 1970s building in the center of Athens. The fragmented floor plan of the Athenian apartment is dismantled and redesigned with the openness and brightness of the spaces in mind. The old interior walls are cleared and the bedroom walls are the only ones preserved.
The design implements the idea of a continuous movement that runs through the spaces, and tracks human activity of daily living, in the center of which the sleeping area is placed; the bed. The flow of movement inside the apartment is implied by the continuity of the furniture between spaces, the colouring and the lighting on the ceiling.
The isolated and “hidden” kitchen of the old apartment is moved “in front”, redesigned and opened to the living area and the guests of the house. Instead of being a separate room, it maximizes its space, maintaining a dual function: food preparation area and passage-corridor. The sliding doors of the bedroom allow double access, both from the kitchen and the living room, and flow of movement.
The kitchen area is integrated with the living room and the bedroom, as its furniture continue uniformly to both areas. The lacquered wood curves around the corners and turns from a kitchen cabinet into a living room furniture, indicating the continuity of the space and the flow of movements. The old terazzo floor of the living room is preserved and the new floor in the kitchen continues in the same colouring. The tall kitchen cabinets extend into the bedroom and turn into a wardrobe and a bookcase, thus signifying the transition through spaces.
Lighting complements the idea of uninterrupted movement. Cove LED ceiling lighting is implemented as a continuous line that runs through the apartment following the curved lines of the design. Ceiling Cove Lighting penetrates all spaces enhancing continuity.
Indirect Natural Lighting- Rows of glass bricks on the parallel walls take advantage of natural light, allowing it to penetrate through multiple rooms.
Storage capacity was a crucial factor that has been considered in the design of such a small apartment.
Material Reuse – The stained glass of the old sliding door is reused in the new bathroom in order to brighten it up. A squared shape opening, in the size of a glass brick, is placed on the door.
