A well-known name in the world of architecture, interior, and furniture design, ANAKTAE is no newcomer to the world of creative synergies. After multiple collaborations with the likes of Zeus & Dione, the Benaki Museum, A. G. Leventis Gallery and the Piraeus Bank Cultural Foundation, ANAKTAE has formed a creative partnership with Parthenis, an iconic Greek fashion brand since the 1970s.
ANAKTAE worked with Orsalia Parthenis to transform her label’s flagship store in Mykonos town into a multifunctional space, where customers can shop Parthenis’ instant classics and enjoy a drink or a light meal inspired by the elemental Cycladic lifestyle. Located next to the island’s famous windmills, the café flows onto a courtyard overlooking Little Venice and its legendary sunsets.
ANAKTAE conceived, constructed, and curated every stage of the creation of Parthenis Café, from spatial philosophy to interior design, including a range of custom-made furniture and lighting. The design draws inspiration from the eternal elements of Greek summer: light, energy, and simplicity. The result is faithful to the pure forms of Cycladic architecture and the easy, stripped-back Parthenis aesthetic, using local materials such as marble, wood, and metal in modern yet timeless ways. Sculptural marble and metal scones, a marble counter and a bar clad in textured wooden panels, nesting tripod stools and side tables that can be reconfigured around low benches with striped cushions, all complement the clean lines of the Parthenis collection. Clothing is displayed on free-standing rails suspended from the ceiling.
“Our collaboration with Parthenis came naturally,” say Dianna Karvounis and Vivian Philippa, the founding partners of ANAKTAE. “Our shared vision is to reimagine ‘Hellenism’ in a minimalist and elegant way. Both ANAKTAE and Parthenis draw inspiration from Greece and its cultural heritage, redefining contemporary Greek style with international elements.”
