1930's Athenian wartime building redeveloped into neo-modernist hotel
by Megan Whitby | 03 Jul 2018
Greek architects K Studios have overseen the redevelopment of a 1930s hotel, which has been transformed into a "neo-modernist masterpiece" in the city of Athens.
Working in collaboration with Konstantinos, Anastasia and Alexandra Sgoumpopoulou – three siblings whose careers have crossed the paths of merchant shipping, art, and fashion – the new Perianth Hotel by K Studios pays homage to the Athenian modern movement.
Set to open later this month, the hotel can be found on Agia Eirini, a location hidden away from Athens’ typical tourist trail. Situated on a Byzantine-era square, the hotel has been branded "a modern refuge in an ancient city".
The design has been conceived as a modern minimalist sanctuary, with terrazzo floors, marble furniture, and glass brick to embody contemporary Greece within the hotel. In a further nod of appreciation towards contemporary Greece, Perianth is populated with Greek artwork by artists Yiannis Varelas, Antonakis, Margarita Myrogianni, Rallou Panagiotou and Maria Papadimitriou.
K Studios had to tackle an unconventional floor plan based on the building's original design. Its 1930s original design boasts features from Athens’ interwar modern movement, classified as ‘Streamline Modern’, including a dominance of linear and curved details. Using the building’s inherent trapezoid shape as inspiration, K Studios have constructed short corridors which extend outward from open, central lounge spaces on each floor. Glass brick walls in these spaces allow natural light from the building’s shaft to illuminate its lounge areas.
The hotel has 38 guest rooms, ranging from 21-46 sq m (226-495sq ft) in size, which all provide guests with their own private terrace and custom-made furniture. There is also a sixth-floor penthouse which covers 116 sq m (1,250sq ft) and boasts a large private veranda with unobstructed views across Athens and of the Acropolis.
The building has also been fitted with a Zen Centre to provide a space for hosting, teaching, and sharing the tradition of Zen and the philosophy of martial arts. The centre, says Konstantinos Sgoumpopoulou, will "build bonds that will impact, transform, and create an overall sense of connection through Zen meditation".
Guests can also find a restaurant in the hotel, Il Baretto, which will offer simplistic Italian cuisine. Despite the bar acting as a natural focal point, the restaurant still retains minimalist elegance through an abundance of white marble and Italian mirrors.
K Studios Athens hotel neo-modernist Konstantinos Sgoumpopoulou
Greek architects K Studios have overseen the redevelopment
K Studios had to tackle an unconventional floor plan based on the building's original design
The hotel has 38 guest rooms and one luxury Penthouse on the sixth-floor
The design has been conceived as a modern minimalist sanctuary that focuses on contemporary Greece
Greek architects K Studios have overseen the redevelopment of a 1930s hotel, which has been transformed into a "neo-modernist masterpiece" in the city of Athens. Working in collaboration with Konstantinos, Anastasia and Alexandra Sgoumpopoulou – three siblings whose careers have crossed the paths of merchant shipping, art, and fashion – the new Perianth Hotel by K Studios pays homage to the Athenian modern movement. Set to open later this month,
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