Studionoh was commissioned to restore an eclectic villa of 1920's and convert it to a high end restaurant, in North Athenian suburb-Kifissia. Kifissia Villas were used as second houses for the upper class Athenians, they characterize a specific phase of the recent Greek history, where the wealthy Greeks of Diaspora returned to Athens, bringing along their capitals, their refined Europeanized mentality and education.
The restoration process took almost one year and involved replacing important decorative details such as all the ceilings and their decorative patterns , a new bar, rearranging the lower level spaces to accommodate the kitchen area, toilets and changing rooms for the stuff, replacing part of the roof and one of the chimneys. All without damaging the original fabric of the building. Studio Noh was required to integrate 21-century aesthetics and technologies without altering the original structure of the villa.
"Materials were reinvented into the space to encourage nostalgia of the site's heritage". Internal walls were covered with acrylic textured finish and external ones whitewashed with white and grey plaster while wooden beams on the roof were left exposed. Also, used as a predominant material the American walnut as well as a palette of Greek granite and Italian carrara marble to complement the original Neobyzantine building.
The concept of the design process was a journey between tradition and modernity that reinterprets the story of the building for the future, marrying emotion, memories and pleasure aimed to create a modern, luxury estate in an eclectic envelope".
Studionoh Architects: Tasos Kosmas / Dimitris Pavlou
Location: Athens, Greece
Area : 295 m2
Year : 2014
