Lab Athens is a dynamic design studio based in Athens, Greece. The office was originally established in 2009 by architects Ilias Pantos and Aris Efthymiadis. Since 2016, it is run exclusively by Ilias Pantos. The scope of its work includes architectural design, interiors, and landscape architecture.
“Our new creative space is situated in an office building constructed in the 50s, located in the heart of the “historical – commercial triangle” of Athens. It was considered a unique challenge since this specific area embodies the main principles of our design philosophy. History & aesthetics mixed with city buzz and fusion eclecticism translated into today’s social needs. We had a very limited space to work with – so we decided to reconfigure the whole layout and start from scratch. This was the only way to accommodate a fully operational space in limited m2. The intention is to create a mixture of “indoors and outdoors effect” combined with a “home element” to make the space inviting for both users and visitors. New office spaces, especially after the pandemic experience, have shifted from “clean-cut” impersonal environments to an interacting nature evolving home-centered habitat. Hence we introduced planting not only for decoration but also for mixing the indoor lines with the outdoors limits. This is expected to evolve in time as plants grow. The design production space is formulated as an “open market kiosk” creating an illusion of city buzz and creative ideas laboratory. It separates from the rest of the office with sliding glass doors where plants cater as a natural visual curtain. The meeting space is perceived as a house dining area drenched in natural light and vintage furniture. All openings were resized to bring as much “city imagery & light” as possible into the space. Our approach is to introduce more personal character into office space with less universal aesthetics – eventually making it “our home”! Our working atmosphere aims to achieve a combination of functionality & individuality which also form the main ingredients of our design principles. The intent is to project our aesthetic identity and provide a creative environment for all our project participants, whether clients, visitors, friends, or collaborators.”
