Across Athens and the Greek islands, architects are turning small, often overlooked spaces into homes that feel open and connected to their surroundings. Storage rooms, ageing apartments, and compact island villas are being reworked through careful planning and bold design moves that prioritise light and easy living.
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From basement storage to light-filled studio
In a quiet residential district south of Athens, a basement storage room became the starting point for Ilioupoli Apartment. Point Supreme Architects turned an open concrete room into a studio intended as a future home for the family’s children. A Japanese-style timber partition at the entrance divides the space, while the existing toilet was extended into a full bathroom. A curtained sliding glass door encloses the bedroom.
Color and recycled earthen materials do the rest of the work. The kitchen gets a deep maroon laminate and a custom island bench that opens on all four sides for storage. From the kitchen, the bold blue bathroom is visible through a high window — both a statement contrast and a natural flow of light. A basement room that once stored things now feels expansive.
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Exarcheia apartment trades darkness for daylight
In Athens’ Exarcheia neighborhood, a dark 1960s ground-floor apartment was gutted by architect and illustrator Federica Scalise. Renamed Carmen Apartment, the home now floods with natural light after most interior walls were removed. A run of glass bricks along the main façade brightens an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area.
A neutral white backdrop lets the bold details stand out: a red raised sleeping platform, green window and door frames, a Portuguese pink marble benchtop. The bedroom became a compact raised sleeping nook and study, concealable behind a blue blackout curtain. Below, tenant and designer Takis Dimitriadis used four cinderblocks and a large tile to make a DIY coffee table — sculptural and functional. A mirrored entry closet and kitchen cabinet keep light bouncing deeper inside, and circular portals on the custom bathroom door let daylight reach the darkest room.
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Island villas that look outward
Asprolithos Villa was designed by Stella Papazoglou and Louisa Varelidi of Polisgram Architects.
