phae apartment
renovation without renovation

Located in the neighborhood of Kypseli, on Faethontos Street—from which the project takes its name, Phae—we were asked to redesign and radically transform the aesthetic identity of a 70 sqm apartment in a 2000s residential building.

Given the year of construction, the apartment did not possess distinctive architectural features worth preserving. We therefore approached it as a blank canvas that allowed for ample design freedom, while at the same time challenging us to find clever ways to “mask” its aesthetic shortcomings through subtle design gestures.

Working within the constraints of a limited budget, our intervention left both the floor plan and the existing materials intact. Instead, we focused on textures, colors, fabrics, natural light, and the sensory experience of the user. Despite the restrictions, our main goal was to maintain a high level of aesthetic and spatial quality throughout.

The client’s brief called for a warm and welcoming atmosphere with a distinct identity. To achieve this, we worked with tones of dusty pink and olive green. Curtains played a key role in defining the character of each room, as we wanted every bedroom to develop its own distinct personality. Acting as filters of different gradations between the urban environment and the interior, each room was equipped with a pair of blackout curtains and a pair of sheer ones.

Since we could not replace the glossy tiled flooring, we opted for large, low-pile rugs in soft beige tones to bring calmness into the space.

At the entrance, conceived as a transitional threshold, we introduced a bench with a full-height mirror and added round wall hooks, creating a spot for brief moments of preparation upon entering or leaving the apartment. Where a bulky and impractical buffet once stood, we placed a compact dining table that can double as a laptop workstation when needed. A round minimal wall sconce marks the dining area.

In the living room, a corner sofa was chosen to subtly define the seating area from the dining space and entrance, while directing the gaze toward the large opening to the balcony, which brings in abundant natural light. Given the elongated shape of the room, we aimed to soften its proportions and add character by installing wall-mounted canvases.

In the bedrooms, each with its own distinct color identity, we introduced a “virtual headboard” painted in the same tone as the blackout curtains.
As in all our projects, nature plays a vital role; indoor plants were added both in the living room and bedrooms, reinforcing the connection to the natural element.
This project could be described as a “renovation without renovation”—a radical redefinition and reshaping of the aesthetic and functional footprint of an urban apartment through direct and cost-efficient design interventions, without the need for structural alterations.

Photography:  Vasso Paraschi
Styling: Elli Athanasiadou
Construction: Elli Athanasiadou
Decoration: Myran