With a vision to create a space that encapsulates the old-world glamour of Athens, Molonglo designed a humble, yet characterful apartment in the Kypseli area in collaboration with Royffe Flynn architects. The 1950s apartment is located on the third floor of a six-storey polykatoikia, featuring a charming, mirrored entrance with marble steps, on a prominent corner at the intersection of Troias and Drosopoulou streets. The renovation completely rethought the apartment’s design while preserving its authentic identity. “Troias” consists of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living area, and a workspace. Large French doors and three independent balconies let the light and air circulate throughout the space. The apartment’s original layout has been retained, along with most parts of the kitchen such as its cabinets, joinery, and the compact functionality of a series of countertops at varying heights. The team focused on celebrating the world of makers, utilizing different forms of craftsmanship to foster the space. Flooring is made of a large-format terrazzo set within a series of rectangular, circular, and semicircular slabs. Mined 16 kilometers northeast of the city, the slabs were cut without waste, and the offcuts were broken up and used elsewhere in the apartment. Reclaimed pieces have been collected from Athens’s many marble yards to make the sinks, steps, and paneling. Objects and furniture carry a long history of crafts from the 1950s to the 70s, as a wealth of international materials spanning the best part of the twentieth century are used: Czech glass, Italian marble, Danish bamboo, Swiss leather, and American lucite, velvet and brass. The furniture includes bedheads made by local carpenters working from a nearby apartment, and lamps were sourced from the original lobby and hotel rooms of Athens Hilton.
Troias Apartment in Kypseli, Athens by Molonglo
