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Athens has long had a conflicting relationship with its polykatoikias. In a city where you can’t swing a cat without hitting one of these unsightly multi-story residential cement masses, Point Supreme has gotten very good at turning their interior pitfalls into advantages.

Situated in a sunken position with light penetrating only one side, their latest project looked to embrace the interior’s magical cave-like feeling transforming this unfinished, semi-basement space into a richly tactile delight.

Located in Ilioupoli, in the south east corner of Athens, this eclectic and captivating home clocks in at a compact 56sqm. In order to harness the volume’s full potential, the architects opted for an open plan layout, maximising the natural lighting and establishing a sense of spaciousness. Creating a positive from its unfinished state see-through, light-weight partitions and steel and glass sliding panels were incorporated to delineate the various zones in lieu of internal walls.

Related: Trikoupi Apartment in Athens by Point Supreme Architects.

Further visual and spatial filters such as sliding partitions, curtains and hanging shelves were added creating the illusion of depth while providing ample storage and privacy between areas.

Rich in textures and colour from the warm burgundy joinery and kitchen cabinets to the robust ochre and seagreen velvet curtains and light cork wall, these vibrant accents are a playful offset to the neutral scheme of the exposed building shell. The original steel windows and door interplay with the new stainless steel shelves adding a cool charm to the already diverse materiality.

Considering the small footprint, the most miraculous part of the project tends to be the moments of surprise from the crisp white corner bookcase to the floor to ceiling baby blue bathroom, extended to fit in a walk-in shower that transports you to a beachside villa.

Quelling the urge to cover the raw, industrial backdrop of concrete columns, beams and ceilings the practice instead left them intact along with the visible cable ducts and water piping adding an edge to the whimsical furnishings.

From lacklustre to lush, this unpretentiously chic refurbishment showcases the best of Point Supreme’s lateral thinking to reimagine the polykatoikia for contemporary living.

Related: Nadja Apartment in Athens, Greece by Point Supreme.

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