Architect Federica Scalise renovated a 1960s Athenian apartment in Exarcheia for a couple in their mid-forties celebrating simplicity, impermanence, and subtle beauty through a minimal design with strong Japanese references.

-by Melina Arvaniti-Pollatou

Setting aside her signature colorful aesthetics, Scalise designed this bright new home based on a palette of whites, concrete gray and maple wood as a manifestation to serenity.

But, how? All non-load-bearing opaque walls were removed and replaced by custom-made translucent sliding panels based on the philosophy of Japanese shoji partitions.

This strategic design decision allows sunlight to travel throughout the elongated layout filling the living space from the one side to the other with a smooth, natural light all-day long from sunrise to sunset.

Moreover, the shoji-inspired partitions create a whole new sense of privacy and homecoming incorporating an intriguing shadow play behind closed doors, framing unexpected domestic views and integrating shelving for objects of desire such as memorabilia and close-to-heart books. 

Upon entering, a spacious living-room with a library, in close connection with the kitchen and the balcony, offers opportunity for socializing, reading, cooking, chatting and all the above combined. A luminous play-room for gatherings with friends and family. The second half of the house shelters the private world of the residents featuring a peaceful bedroom with a balcony, a multipurpose room left open to possibility, and two different bathrooms; the main one and a guest WC.

F&P apartment in Exarcheia is a study to soft minimalism where the concrete meets the wood, the light its shadow, and the white gets bolder than blue.

Drawings

Facts & Credits
Project title  F&P apartment
Typology  Apartment renovation, Housing, Interior design
Architecture  Federica Scalise
Photography  Francesca Iovene


Enjoyed F&P apartment? Check out, also, BUNNY tiny apartment renovation downtown Athens by Federica Scalise, here!


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