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Lollo’s Atene (Back)
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Lollo’s Atene (Back)

Lollo’s Atene, 140m²

Athens, Greece, 2018

Photography by George Messaritakis and AKA

Awards

Longlisted for the Dezeen Awards 2020
Shortlisted for the Domes Awards 2019
Big See Interior Design Award Winner 2019

Occupying a typical postwar residence in the Athenian suburbs, Lollo’s Atene is the urban version of its sibling on Antiparos Island. Our aim was to create a simple and fresh environment, much like the Italian menu on offer, while simultaneously acknowledging the material and formal particularities of the building.

The interior had undergone multiple interventions, which were removed to reach its sincere form: its skeleton. The walls are stone and metal beams support the atypical roof of solid bricks and concrete. The aim of our design was the smooth coexistence of the structure’s complexity with the new interventions.

Anything located under the window sill is green, as if dipped in oil. Lacquers and glossy varnishes create smooth and polished surfaces. The oval terrazzo table was constructed in situ following the traditional construction method, and is made of olive green cement with tri-colored aggregates.

Everything above the datum line is veiled in white paint. This chromatic uniformity simplifies the elements’ complexity and smooths the materials’ roughness. The strict dichotomy of the space gives the diners and the colorful dishes served a leading role.

The glazing separating the kitchen and the lighting fixtures are custom-designed for the space and finished in hammered copper paint, adding a touch of color to the dual-colored space. The glazing acts like a bright screen where the uninterrupted movement of the kitchen is projected.

Through intense contrasts in materiality and color, we juxtapose the smooth with the rugged, the dark with the light, the glossy with the matte, the present with the past.