Design Studio
The Wooden Box Apartment
Type: Residential
Design: Panagiotis Papanikolaou
Construction: Epikyklos
Photo credits: Panagiotis Papanikolaou
Location: Pagkrati I Athens
Year: 2022
Size: 80 sqm
The project concerns the redesign of a 1960’s Athenian apartment in the neighborhood of Pagkrati. One major issue of the old spatial arrangement was the compartmentalized plan and the narrow circulation spaces, that did not allow the desirable amount of light in the apartment.
The aim of the proposed redesign was to allow more light in the apartment and also manage to respond to the contemporary inhabitation needs. A ‘wooden box’, which is a new distinct entity in space, becomes the core of the composition, enclosing the kitchen space from the inside, while creating a dialogue with the living spaces from the outside. Moreover, the birch plywood cladding of the box, achieves visual unification and continuity between the main and secondary spaces.
The distinct urban planning of the area was important from the start of the project, as it has largely defined the geometry of the building and the apartment itself. The aim of the redesign was to embrace these existing angles, in order to achieve a connection between the scale of the city, the building, the apartment and the details.
The existing hardwood floor, which was a characteristic element of the apartment was maintained and extended, while the new materials and colours work in harmony with it, creating a bright yet peaceful environment. The pastel green bathroom tiles and the marble countertop are a discreet reference to the Athenian apartments of the 1960’s, while the concrete floor tiles attempt a connection with the urban fabric.