Opening Home
‘For me every new housing project is a new relationship. As we all know, every new relationship comes along with its unique experiences and challenges. The main challenge this time was how architecture can evolve through the abundant use of bold colours,’
Principal Architect: Kirki Mariolopoulou
Design Team: Maria Melidi, Maria Tsouma
Location: Stamata, Attica, Greece
Area: 250 sqm
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: George Messaritakis & Dimitris Kleanthis
Awards & Nominations
Granted the Silver A’ Design Award 2018
ANALYSIS
OPENING_
Private residence
Residence in Stamata, Attica | 2016
Located on the northern east suburbs of Athens in Greece, the house is designed in a vertical axis due to the building coverage ratio. Therefore, each floor has a specific use; the ground and the first floor become the house’s living spaces and kitchen area with both direct accesses to the exterior landscape due to the sloped lot. The bedrooms are on the second floor along with a small playroom and the master bedroom is on the top floor connected with the roof terrace. This four-storey rectangular volume opens up in order to welcome light and life inside the house. The north facade swings slightly in order to absorb the west sunlight and at the same time encloses the main entrance and stairway of the house along with the lift and the house’s atrium. The opening gesture is underlined by using bright orange color on the hypotenuse wall of the triangle and raising the sense of an “ablaze” space. The colored wall is light washed from above, and reflected upon all adjacent walls, creating a warm color filter that travels through the whole house. This triangle shaped space, is an interstitial void that connects the circulation zone with the private and living spaces, thus becomes the most influential and significant part of the house.
Now let’s start from the beginning…. The owner is a young man who is just about to start his family dream, his favorite movie is “Star Wars” and his favorite game is “Rubik’s Cube”, therefore a color palette of white, blue, green, red, yellow and orange (Rubik colors), has been carefully chosen. The living space becomes white, both bedrooms are painted green and yellow, the bathroom is covered with bright red tiles, and blue details – furniture, are carefully scattered throughout the house. It’s like the architect decided to start a color “war” with the dominating diffused orange color. The house becomes a personal experience, physically and emotionally. The result is a dramatic architectural experience that pleases the playful owner’s eye as it creates an elegant whimsical house that will accommodate his own galaxy of heroes.
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