Domestic origin

The new Daras Dental clinic in Piraeus challenges the conventions of a typical clinical environment, redefining it as a place of healing rather than discomfort. Bright surfaces, warm wooden tones, semi-transparent materials, and domestic details come together to soothe patients’ anxiety and create a more welcoming atmosphere.

 

Spatial Organization

Housed in a 1960s apartment building near the port, the 110 m² residence is transformed into a multi-dental clinic for three dentists and their staff. The original living–dining area is removed and replaced by a timber-and-glass module made of channel glass, accommodating the reception, office, CT scan room, waiting area, and the main treatment room. Two additional treatment rooms, the restrooms, and staff areas are organized within the apartment’s existing partitions.

Materials & Construction

The clinic’s identity emerges from the combination of wood and glass, blending the typologies of clinic and home. Rather than concealing the conversion, the design embraces the space’s domestic origins, fostering a sense of comfort. Contemporary details subtly reference the modernism of the 1960s – the decade in which the building was constructed.

 

 

Form & Lighting Design

Piraeus itself – the busiest passenger port in Europe and a gateway to the Aegean Sea – also served as a source of inspiration. Luminous glazed surfaces evoke the depths of the sea, while circular openings and finely crafted joinery recall the craftsmanship of yachts. A discreet mint-green floor bridges the clinical and nautical references. Above all, light animates the space: luminous ceilings provide a clean, fresh counterpoint to the more domestic service areas.

 

“Soul-specific” design

“An interior design project, even for a single apartment, carries with it the same complexity and responsibility as larger projects: it means interpreting desires, memories, and aspirations to transform them into space. It’s never about applying a pre-established model, but about building, step by step, a unique identity capable of generating quality of life. Each time, the result is different, surprising, and, to use a term from contemporary art, truly ‘soul-specific’.”

Pier Currà, Founder Pier Currà Architettura

 

Design Philosophy

Every corner of this apartment in the historic center of Forlì tells a story of creativity, color, and memory. The renovation transforms a 1960s home into a vibrant living space where a vintage soul meets contemporary pop accents, resulting in interiors that are both surprising and expressive.

 

 

Functional Layout

The double-height living room, flooded with natural light from a large window, forms the heart of the home. Morning light bounces off surfaces and details, enhancing the bold chromatic contrasts. The space is shaped by custom-made furniture that becomes architectural in itself: the striking orange staircase doubles as a sculptural bookcase, while the bespoke storage unit at the entrance acts as a visual and functional filter between the lowered hallway and the living area.

The kitchen celebrates color and craftsmanship. Entirely custom-designed, it is defined by deep blue cabinetry paired with a stainless-steel worktop. The flooring pays explicit homage to the 1970s through optical-patterned tiles, while a glass-brick wall filters light and introduces rhythmic geometric textures.

 

 

Materials & Furnishings

Throughout the apartment, interior design oscillates between memory and innovation. Original elements, such as the large window and the ceiling clad in exotic wood slats, have been carefully restored and enhanced, while bold color choices and bespoke furnishings create a cohesive narrative across the spaces. Pastel-toned bathrooms with cement tiles and red taps, a master bedroom distinguished by a custom burgundy wardrobe and white paneling, and an upper floor featuring a study that overlooks the living room and opens onto a balcony with a flower box, all contribute to a layered and imaginative domestic landscape. The result is a home that embraces its original identity while reinterpreting it with energy, personality, and lightness.

 

Mystagogic Atmosphere

The hotel is housed in an existing 19th-century stone structure in the heart of Rethymno’s old town and consists of five suites offering all contemporary comforts.

 

Design Philosophy

The design aims to immerse visitors in elements of Cretan culture, offering an atmosphere where the evocative character of the past coexists with contemporary sensibilities. During the adaptive reuse of the original shell, the stone masonry was highlighted and preserved, with targeted structural reinforcements where necessary. To maintain the authenticity of the original character, all mechanical and electrical systems were concealed within the walls and floors.

A new stone structure was created on the adjacent plot, centered around the presence of water, forming the hotel’s shared pool and introducing a sense of oasis within the dense fabric of the old town. The two stone volumes are connected by a staircase made of exposed concrete.

 

 

Material Palette

The material choices emphasize the identity of the project and include stone, wood, clay, and iron with a weathered finish. Custom elements were crafted, while existing components found within the building were reused. The floors are made of elongated clay tiles, and the gutters are formed from joined clay pipe segments reminiscent of traditional Cretan water channels.

 

 

Custom Elements

Metal features such as frames, railings, and planters are made of treated iron with a rusted appearance. The glass surfaces were specially crafted to evoke an aged character, while the doors and furniture incorporate reclaimed wooden elements discovered in the building. The structural wooden components are made of unprocessed chestnut. Finally, the room locks are restored Ottoman-era pieces found in the old town of Rethymno.

 

Historical stratification

The restoration of the listed building by E. Ziller and its transformation into a hotel offered an opportunity to examine the architectural dialogue between new and old. At the core of the design process was the question of how the new interior layer could be articulated with clarity against the pre-existing structure so that the historic elements would remain visually and conceptually prominent.

 

Renovation Strategy

A single gesture within the renovation encapsulates the overall design intent. On the second floor, along the perimeter of the gypsum ceiling decoration, the project’s conservator removed a small section of the later white paint to reveal a rectangular fragment of the original, richly coloured ceiling painting beneath. This intentional “witness” preserves both the authentic layer and the later intervention, making visible the shifting aesthetic preferences of the neoclassical home’s former inhabitants.

This carefully curated “peeling”, creates a momentary opening into the past, exposing successive historical layers with clarity. Across the entire project, the distinction between new and old was primarily expressed through two elements: the axial layout and the ceilings.

 

 

Functional Layout & Materials

The original plan organized the rooms axially, with tall double doors allowing them to interconnect. This configuration was carefully preserved, as was the fundamental rhythm of the rooms. New bathroom spaces were positioned alongside the axial circulation and were designed as freestanding boxes that do not touch the painted ceilings. Clad in mirror, they visually recede, doubling the perceived volume and reinforcing the separation between old and new.

Most rooms in the neoclassical building featured colored ceiling paintings of high artistic value, though many showed signs of age – repairs, cable routes, cracks, and areas where the lath-and-plaster substrate was exposed. The conservator restored the damaged sections by extending the original artwork in full, while deliberately maintaining a light patina acquired over time. Crucially, the aim was not to produce a flawless, freshly painted ceiling.

Finishes & Custom Elements

In other words, the intention was not to create the impression of a ceiling that could have been painted “yesterday,” as is common in some Byzantine church restorations. A similar conceptual reference to the neoclassical façade was made on the ground floor, within the hotel’s shared spaces. The façade, unusual in that it faces three streets, features a distinctive arcade, which inspired the arched configurations of the high-ceilinged interiors.

The preserved architectural elements guided the colour selection for each room. By taking cues from the ceiling artwork, the wall finishes were chosen accordingly, while contemporary furniture was introduced – pieces that do not attempt to replicate the past, but instead establish a respectful dialogue with the neoclassical shell.

 

 

Rhythmic pattern

This project is the conversion of an old olive oil mill house, built in the mid-1800s in an ancient village in the island of Lefkada that fell into ruin in the 1950s. The mill’s interior was a dark space, illuminated primarily through small ventilation windows, with the original wooden roof structure taking up nearly half the height of the room.

 

Design Philosophy

The project aims to transform the existing into a flexible, multi-purpose space, filled with natural light. It starts with the reinforcement of the existing walls and the replacement of the old, deteriorated roof for a new one with large windows.

 

 

Functional Organization

The design strategy for the new interior focuses on introducing only the essential elements necessary to define the space in a highly adaptable manner. A strategically placed half-height partition at the center divides the space, separating the full-height front area from the rear mezzanine. Below the mezzanine are a bedroom, bathroom, and storage, while the upper level offers an open, flexible area for various activities. All spaces are seamlessly connected by a 360-degree circulation path and are also linked to the adjacent house.

This defining element, which both shapes and articulates the new interior, is constructed from vertical wooden modules that integrate the doors to the rear rooms beneath the mezzanine. When closed, these doors are nearly invisible, blending seamlessly into the rhythmic pattern of the structure.

 

Material Palette

Terracotta tones mixed with pink infuse the space with warmth, constantly shifting in character with the natural light across the seasons. The lower kitchen module, finished in dark blue, is oriented toward sea views framed by a new, expansive window.

 

Cycladic minimalism

Xylo is a carving gallery situated in one of Santorini’s villages, Megalochori, whose beauty and spirit still capture the essence of Cycladic culture. Xylo is the Greek word for “wood”.

 

Design Philosophy

The gallery is a paean to modern Cycladic minimalism, a place destined to express the essence of Xylo, communicate the craft of wood carving and showcase the artist’s creations. The project’s starting point was the naturalistic and simple beauty of Greek tradition. More specifically, our studio draw inspiration from Greek arts and crafts.

 

 

Custom elements

Metallic and wooden panels recreate, in a contemporary manner, details of traditional embroideries and are used as semi-transparent partitions or shelving systems to display the artist’s sculptures. Another key aspect is the meticulously preserved carpenter’s workbenches placed in the gallery.

 

 

Layout & Materials

The gallery’s layout is an open-plan space with display spots on each wall. A central display unit creates a discrete division while maintaining the openness of the space, thanks to its thin structure. The selected colors and materials, inspired by traditional Cycladic architecture, aim to highlight the gallery’s wooden sculptures. The final composition is a serene and subdued environment, acting as a cool white canvas for the exhibits.