Troias

Troias is a two-bedroom apartment renovation in Kypseli, Athens, the second in a series of residential projects we are undertaking with Molonglo in Greece.

Prior to the refurbishment, the apartment was in a semi-ruinous state. Finding beauty in the peeling paintwork, our design looked to the building’s authentic character – offering humble, textural interventions in keeping with its original structure and spirit. Many of its architectural elements have been retained, from the compartmentalised floorplan to the original cabinets and delicate joinery of the apartment’s traditional 1950’s kitchen.

Where significant restoration and design was required, we made use of local materials and craftsmanship. Working with Kokkinarás marble taken from peaks sixteen kilometres north-east of the city, the floors of the main rooms consist of a large-format terrazzo set within a series of rectangular, circular and semicircular slabs. Digitally mapped and then shaped with a waterjet cutter, these slabs were cut without waste – where there were offcuts, they were broken up and used elsewhere in the apartment. The same approach was taken with the furniture. If a suitable item was not available, it was designed for the apartment and fabricated locally. Our bedframe designs, for instance, were constructed by carpenters working not far from the apartment.