USP Athens Studio
Kimberley Powell
Product Spec Sheet

ElementBrandProduct Name
lightingDelight - Zefkilis Bros Co.
MetalworkAlfa Metal
Interior floorsGiapoutzis
Office furnitureInmind
lightingLuce Ataliotis
FabricsSarlas

Product Spec Sheet
Metalwork
Interior floors
Office furniture
by Inmind
lighting
Fabrics
by Sarlas

USP Athens Studio

Urban Soul Project as Architects

The office is located on the ground floor of an apartment building on Lykavittou Street, in Kolonaki, Athens. The apartment building was designed in 1947, by Emmanuel Vourekas and Renos Koutsouris. On the initial plan, the space was a 150 square meter apartment with 2 bedrooms on the street side, hall, living room and dining room, while a transitional space (OFFICE/study and cellar, as mentioned in the original floor plan) connected the spaces to the kitchen and the maid's room with built-in WC facing the vacant lot. Today, the meeting room and the directors' room are located in the front zone, followed by the open offices (with 19 workplaces) and at the back, the kitchen and material storage areas.

photo_credit Kimberley Powell
Kimberley Powell

The garage forms a special condition, as while being connected with the meeting room, functions as a direct access point to the meeting room by car and also as a material palette room. Part of the garage facing the street, closes with an electric blind, giving a window to the street.

photo_credit Kimberley Powell
Kimberley Powell

The adaptation of the apartment into an office space preserved as much of the original elements as possible, combining them with modern materials, forms and colors. The white color dominates the walls, floors and furniture of the open space, while different colors have been chosen for the ceilings and the "unique" furniture.

photo_credit Kimberley Powell
Kimberley Powell

The furniture designed for the space are designed in the spirit of "contrary to the old”; the metal bookcase in the entrance, the black bookcase in the meeting room with leather and marble details, the marble table in the meeting room and the triangular table in the directors' room. In all cases, curved forms and thin metal surfaces are used. In the kitchen, the terrazzo floor, furniture and marble sink were kept as found, while smoked mirror was placed on the backsplash (surface behind the sink) which creates interesting reflections and gives depth to the space. Finally, the curtains as an element, apart from their obvious function of isolating spaces, also function as sound absorbers.

photo_credit Kimberley Powell
Kimberley Powell
photo_credit Kimberley Powell
Kimberley Powell
Caption

Read story in ItalianoEspañolFrançaisPortuguês and Deutsch

Products Behind Projects
Product Spotlight
News
Detail: Henning Larsen’s World of Volvo is a study in mass timber construction
26 Jul 2024 Detail
Detail: Henning Larsen’s World of Volvo is a study in mass timber construction

“World of Volvo” opened its doors to visitors in Spring 2024. A joint venture between Vo... More

Batlleiroig recovers and improves historic promenade in Reus
24 Jul 2024 News
Batlleiroig recovers and improves historic promenade in Reus

Barcelona-based Batlleiroig, a multidisciplinary planning, landscaping, and architecture studio, has... More

Semillas creates educational space in Peru’s central jungle to promote cultural and environmental preservation
24 Jul 2024 News
Semillas creates educational space in Peru’s central jungle to promote cultural and environmental preservation

Established in 2014, Semillas is a Peruvian non-profit organization that develops architectural proj... More

MVRDV imagines mixed-use Pixel development in Abu Dhabi as an oyster
23 Jul 2024 News
MVRDV imagines mixed-use Pixel development in Abu Dhabi as an oyster

International architectural practice MVRDV has completed Pixel, a mixed-use development project in A... More

Atelier L’Abri’s design for minimal wooden pavilion embraces sustainable regeneration and self-sufficiency
22 Jul 2024 News
Atelier L’Abri’s design for minimal wooden pavilion embraces sustainable regeneration and self-sufficiency

Montreal-based architecture and construction studio Atelier L’Abri has completed the Melba Pav... More

Seattle’s Maritime Innovation Center: A catalyst for the Blue Economy
19 Jul 2024 News
Seattle’s Maritime Innovation Center: A catalyst for the Blue Economy

The Port of Seattle recently broke ground on the new Maritime Innovation Center at Fishermen’s... More

Monumental sculptures appear to embrace and support Fragment Apartments in Prague
19 Jul 2024 News
Monumental sculptures appear to embrace and support Fragment Apartments in Prague

Prague-based creative studio QARTA Architektura has completed the development of an apartment comple... More

Key recent projects by Baumschlager Eberle Architekten
19 Jul 2024 News
Key recent projects by Baumschlager Eberle Architekten

Baumschlager Eberle Architekten is an international architectural firm known for its contextual inte... More