SIK54 transforms a 40m² semi-basement in Kypseli into a continuous work–living ecosystem where architecture, furniture and infrastructure merge into one adaptable framework. By embracing residual geometries, recesses and structural thicknesses, Ioanna Vlachaki accommodates work, living, making, storage and hospitality without assigning any permanent hierarchy. Sliding wired-glass partitions, deep olive-green steel frames, integrated joinery and a restrained material palette preserve visual continuity, turning a compact interior into an open-ended architecture of occupation.
Within 40m2, the project accommodates a workplace, studio, archive, guest room and domestic functions without assigning a permanent hierarchy to any of them.
The plan is organised around two interconnected spatial zones linked by a sliding partition of wired glass framed in deep olive-green steel.
The translucent screen preserves visual continuity and diffuses daylight throughout the interior, allowing the programme to shift effortlessly between collective and private use while maintaining the perception of a single architectural space.
The existing geometry is treated as the primary design resource.
Recesses, structural projections and residual voids are incorporated into a carefully calibrated sequence of lacquered storage volumes, integrated seating, plywood cabinetry and compact built elements, positioned precisely where the building already suggests their presence.
Rather than introducing autonomous furniture, the intervention absorbs storage, circulation and everyday use into the thickness of the architecture itself. Individual elements are therefore required to perform multiple roles, enabling the interior to accommodate an unexpectedly broad range of activities while remaining visually restrained.
This approach operates across every scale of the project. Architectural volumes, joinery, furniture, material junctions and objects are conceived as parts of a single composition rather than as independent design exercises.
The distinction between architecture and furniture consequently becomes less defined, allowing each built element to contribute equally to the spatial experience.
Material, proportion and use are resolved simultaneously, establishing a design language in which function is embedded within the architectural structure rather than added to it.
A restrained palette of painted concrete, white Formica, exposed plywood edges, oak veneer, brushed stainless steel and wired glass reinforces the coherence of the interior.
Deep olive-green steel frames introduce moments of orientation within the otherwise neutral palette, quietly articulating thresholds, openings and transitions.
Construction remains deliberately legible: exposed edges, carefully resolved junctions and direct material expression reveal an architecture in which precision emerges through assembly.
The kitchenette occupies one edge of the plan as a compact architectural volume integrated into the overall composition. Oak surfaces, brushed stainless-steel worktops and concealed storage form a single object that supports everyday use while maintaining the visual order of the interior.
Adjacent lacquered cabinets and a custom-built bench extend the sequence into existing niches and residual spaces, reinforcing the relationship between function and built form.
Each element contributes to the whole rather than operating as an isolated object.
Beneath the staircase, the most constrained portion of the apartment accommodates a sculpted wet volume. Basin, bathtub and storage merge into a continuous ceramic geometry finished entirely in warm beige mosaic tiles.
The fine grain of the surface softens the changing volumes, while natural light entering through the door transom reinforces the perception of a unified sculptural interior. The bathroom is conceived as an architectural object in its own right, extending the spatial logic of the project into one of its most compressed conditions.
The relationship between the semi-basement and the street forms another important layer of the intervention.
New steel-framed openings establish a measured dialogue with the neighbourhood, allowing daylight to penetrate deep into the interior while maintaining privacy through carefully controlled transparency.
The previously introverted lower-ground space acquires a more direct relationship with the public realm, participating in the everyday life of the street without compromising the intimacy of the interior.
Rather than relying on an increase in area or a proliferation of objects, spatial generosity emerges through precision and integration.
Programme, movement, storage and furniture are woven into a unified architectural system, allowing the limited footprint to support a diverse range of uses. By activating the spaces, thicknesses and conditions already present, the project demonstrates how an attentive reading of the existing can generate an adaptable interior in which architecture and everyday life remain closely intertwined.
Facts & Credits
Project title SIK54
Typology Residential, Workplace
Location Kypseli, Athens, Greece
Area 40 m2
Architecture Ioanna Vlachaki
Construction Eleni Galani
Ceramics Eleni Galani
Photography Ioanna Vlachaki
This project was submitted to Archisearch through the “Submit a Story” feature, where architects, designers, and creatives are invited to share their work for publication.