Raw concrete walls serve as a backdrop to vintage furnishings in this rentable venue and guest suite that Studio Andrew Trotter has created within a converted 1970s industrial building in Athens, Greece.
The six-storey warehouse, now named 10AM Lofts, features a multi-purpose event space spread over its basement and ground floor, which can host anything from exhibitions and dinners to photoshoots.
The event space is spread across the building's ground floor (above) and basement (top image)
The penthouse, which spans the top two floors, can be used as part of these events or booked for private gatherings and longer-term residencies.
Both spaces were designed by Barcelona-based Studio Andrew Trotter with the help of local practice Gavalas Ioannidou Architecture, while a number of other designers have put their personal touch to the four lofts that are spread across the two remaining floors.
A spiralling concrete staircase leads up to the mezzanine
To make room for the event space, the two lowest floors were stripped back to their raw concrete shells.
To lighten up the ground floor, the studio inserted a couple of new windows, inlaid an entire wall with translucent glass bricks and painted surfaces white.
White paint was also used to finish the balustrade fronting the mezzanine-level workroom, which can be accessed via a set of spiralling concrete steps.
Glass bricks let light through to the interior
Guests must descend a twisted Corten-steel staircase to reach the basement, which has a markedly moodier ambience.
Apart from the illumination provided by a handful of pendant lamps, light can only trickle through to the space from the narrow openings left in the ceiling.
Vintage furnishings have been sparingly dotted throughout to soften the harsh industrial look of the space.
Twisted Corten-steel stairs lead down to the basement
The penthouse, which is set over the building's fifth and sixth floors, features surfaces rendered in lime plaster and paint rather than concrete to create what the studio describes as "a feeling of rough luxury".
The fifth floor accommodates a cosy living room, furnished with a plump beige sofa and armchair as well as a weathered sideboard topped with a couple of antique vases and a marble bust.
Heavy sand-coloured linen curtains bring a sense of warmth to the natural light that filters in through the windows.
Close by lies the kitchen, centred on a wooden dining table and a set of Charlotte Perriand's woven Dordogne chairs.
Antique furniture decorates the penthouse's kitchen and dining area
At this level of the penthouse, there is also a study and a bathroom with a huge blocky tub.
This sits beside expansive sliding glass doors that allow guests to enjoy unspoilt vistas of the Acropolis citadel while they soak.
The bathroom has views over the city of Athens
Sweeping city views can also be enjoyed from the main bedroom up on the sixth floor, which is bookended by glass walls.
"[It's] a haven of peace," explained Studio Andrew Trotter. "In the heart of busy Athens, the space is cool and calm."
Scottish architect Luke McClelland has transformed a dark and ill-conceived apartment in Edinburgh's port area of Leith into a bright and contemporary home.
The ground floor flat, which dates back to the early 19th century, had been rented out for more than a decade before being purchased by its current owner.
The Leith apartment is defined by its use of timber (top image) and terrazzo (above)
As a result, its interiors suffered from a convoluted layout, considerable wear and tear, outdated facilities and several level changes in the floor, which sprung up as the basement of the Georgian building was converted for residential use.
"There was a lack of connectivity between the primary living spaces and a lack of light in the poorly planned kitchen," McClelland explained. "The property also needed to be fully rewired and re-plumbed."
The kitchen leads into a dining room with white walls and oak parquet flooring
Despite a restricted budget, McClelland found ways to brighten the apartment and improve how its living spaces are linked together.
Significant alterations were made in the kitchen, where the architect replaced the old cupboards with sleek off-the-shelf cabinets from IKEA.
A portrait by a local artist is centred between two alcoves in the lounge
The muted sage-green hue of the cabinet fronts was chosen to complement the grey terrazzo splashback, which features black, white and reddish flecks.
Natural light floods in through a reinstated window that was previously obstructed by the kitchen counter.
Oak panelling runs underneath the windows and along the chimney breast
A new doorway lined with oak offcuts from the kitchen worktops now leads into the dining area.
Like the rest of the apartment, this space is finished with white-painted walls and oak parquet flooring laid in a chevron pattern.
In the living room, McClelland installed oak-batten panelling beneath the window sills and across the chimney breast to replace the original surrounds, which a former tenant had torn down across the entire apartment save for the bedroom.
The lounge also accommodates a charcoal grey sofa alongside a geometric floor lamp and a few prints, including a striking portrait piece by a local artist.
The apartment's original panelling is retained in the bedroom
The bathroom was reconfigured so that its curved wall becomes more of a focal point.
Before the renovation works, the wall was partially blocked off by a storage unit, which has now been removed.
A curved wall takes prominence in the bathroom
The walls are covered in a mixture of terracotta-coloured tiles and the same terrazzo that appears in the kitchen.
A tall mirror above the sink emphasises the loftiness of the bathroom, which is the only space in the apartment that went unaffected by the basement conversion.
Surfaces are clad with terrazzo and terracotta-coloured tiles
Elsewhere in Edinburgh, Luke McClelland has previously revamped his own home in the Comely Bank neighbourhood.
As part of the project, the architect carried out a number of changes to the floor plan, converting a disused pantry into a shower room and splitting the former living area into two bedrooms.
British studio RX Architects referenced Mediterranean beach houses when designing Seabreeze, a coastal holiday home in East Sussex that is covered in smooth pink concrete.
Located on Camber Sands beach in England, the dwelling is designed for a couple with three children who wanted to replace a house that previously occupied the site.
RX Architects has completed the coastal Seabreeze house
Provided with an open brief, Rye-based RX Architects used the opportunity to create a playful dwelling for the family with an interior that could adapt to their changing needs.
However, as the home is on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – an area designated for conservation – the scale and massing of the home were restricted by planning guidelines that only allowed a "one for one replacement".
It is distinguished by its flush pink-concrete facade
"The intention was to create a comfortable and fun house that they could enjoy both as a couple, and with the family – as well as being adaptable as the children get older," explained the studio's founder Rob Pollard.
"They gave a very open brief which was great, however, given the very sensitive nature of the site, the overall scale and massing was limited," he told Dezeen.
The house is designed to withstand extreme weather on Camber Sands beach
Externally, Seabreeze is distinguished by its flush facade, with windows that are designed without ledges to prevent the collection of sand.
Sealed with durable microfibre concrete, which is coloured with pink pigment, the exterior helps the house to withstand high winds, moving sand and salt air.
Its colour references Mediterranean beach houses
"The neighbouring properties require significant maintenance due to the extreme weather, and the driving sand which quickly works its way into the building fabric and begins to deteriorate it," Pollard explained.
"The external material choice was selected as a way to combat this, by removing any junctions or material changes at eaves or ridge level to create an entirely sealed and wrapped facade."
Wood lines the interiors
The house is also designed without gutters, as these could get blocked by sand. Instead, water is encouraged to run off the house into the sand where it naturally drains away.
Due to the deliberately simple form of the house, RX Architects used the pink pigment in the concrete finish to soften its overall visual impact.
The main bedroom features a window seat
"We experimented with various samples, but wanted something that softened the look which could be harsh," reflected Pollard.
"The pink is reminiscent of traditional Mediterranean beach houses with their natural pink plastered elevations, and this particular colour offsets against the ever-changing sky to give both a subdued appearance on overcast days and a more vibrant appearance on brighter days."
Large expanses of glass line the living area
Inside, Seabreeze comprises an open-plan living area with large windows overlooking the beach, alongside three double bedrooms, two ensuite bedrooms and a family bathroom.
There is also a small spa, which includes a steam room, a sauna and a plunge pool.
The living area opens onto a terrace
The main bedroom is complete with a window seat, which was designed to give users the feeling that they are hovering over the beach with uninterrupted views out to sea.
This window is also positioned to perfectly frame the sea when viewed from the bed.
Like the exterior, all of the home's internal finishes are chosen to be hardwearing. However, they are also intended to offer warmth and tactility.
These include smoked oak cladding, terrazzo flooring that emulates beach pebbles and textured natural lime paint on the walls.
The house also features a plunge pool
Outside, the house is complete with a wooden deck that leads onto the sand dunes and the sea beyond.
This is partially bordered by a curving wall made from weathering steel, designed to hold back sand and protect the terrace.
The pool is overlooked by a sauna
The Seabreeze house is heated and cooled using two 90-metre-deep ground source heat pumps, along with a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system (MVHR).
According to the studio, this helps to maintain a comfortable interior environment in tandem with the thermal mass and energy efficiency of the building envelope.
Wooden finishes are teamed with white walls and terrazzo floors
RX Architects was founded in 2016 by Rob Pollard and Derek Rankin. Other projects by the studio include Druim, a house on the Rye Nature Reserve that is clad in larch and incorporated part of an unfinished building.
Open-plan layouts, functional and adaptable furniture and minimalist designs are some of the trademarks of modernist interiors. For our latest lookbook, we've collected 10 living rooms that evoke the style.
Modernism emerged as an architectural movement in the 1930s and has influenced the pared-back appearance of many interior design projects ever since.
Among the renowned designers and architects who pioneered the style are Charles and Ray Eames, Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, all of whom created designs and buildings that have become hallmarks of the trend.
For this lookbook we've taken a closer look at modernist-informed living rooms, which often feature low-slung furniture in spacious and flexible layouts, sometimes framed by large windows.
London office Takero Shimazaki Architects renovated this apartment within the Barbican Estate, which is known for its brutalist architecture – a style that emerged in the UK in the 1950s.
Located within Shakespeare Tower, the flat intends to fuse its original design elements with Japanese aesthetics, including tatami mats on the floor that contrast with surrounding concrete walls.
"For our inspiration, we looked towards many of the early modernist Japanese architects, who were dealing with similar issues of identity when European modernism was entering Japan at rapid speed," explained the architecture practice.
Originally designed by American modernist architect Edward L Varney in 1956, Hotel Valley Ho in Arizona underwent an interior transformation by local designer Anissa Mendil in more recent years.
Guest suites nod to the period in which the hotel first opened, with elements such as open-plan kitchen-living rooms that feature low-slung, pared-back furniture and functional cabinets.
Another renovation project, this 1940s cottage in Denmark was stripped back by homeowners Mette and Martin Weinberg of Weinberg Architects and fellow Danish office Friis & Moltke.
Villa Weinberg's living spaces are lined with floor-to-ceiling oil-treated oak boards that are interrupted only by large, boxy windows that add natural light to interior spaces.
The founder of Australian firm John Wardle Architects reworked his Melbourne home of 25 years to include interiors clad in Victorian ash – such as bespoke, functional shelves and plinths that hold eclectic ornaments.
Framed by expansive windows, the living room at Kew Residence also features distinctive Take a Line for a Walk armchairs by product designer Alfredo Häberli in a shade of pale blue.
Comprised of three rectilinear volumes arranged around a central courtyard, Whidbey Island Farm was designed by MW Works in Washington.
The house's geometric shapes are also echoed in its interiors, which include a large, open-plan living room with soft colours and earthy finishes that overlooks a meadow where cattle graze.
A distinctive Pierre Jeanneret Chandigarh Easy Chair is among the modernist design elements added to Biscuit Loft, an apartment in Downtown Los Angeles that is housed in a converted factory.
The project by local firm OWIU Studio takes cues from minimalist Asian design and features a spacious living area with functional furniture, including pared-back wooden shelving in a variety of shades.
Almost panoramic in its views thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, the living room at Teton House hosts a collection of dark-coloured geometric seating arranged around a central fireplace.
Located in Wyoming for its mountainous landscape, the residence was designed by American office Olson Kundig, which covered the facade with large wooden shutters that can be open or closed with pulleys.
Local studio Debaixo do Bloco Arquitetura created an open-plan layout in this Brasília apartment, which was originally designed by Lucio Costa and Burle Marx in the 1960s.
While the studio transformed the space by cutting open its exposed concrete walls, Debaixo do Bloco Arquitetura also took care to preserve original modernist design elements such as the granilite flooring that complements low-lying wood shelving units that wrap the living room.
A notable example of modernist architecture, Farnsworth House is a rectilinear glass residence in Illinois that was completed by Mies van der Rohe in 1951.
In recent years, the house was redecorated for an installation that featured furnishings and personal belongings of the late research physician Edith Farnsworth, its original client.
Curvy woven lounge chairs and a black and white rug with a simple geometric pattern were placed in the spacious living room that overlooks the lush grounds.
Main living spaces are accessed by a set of wide outside steps at Smith Residence, a cluster of gabled Corten steel structures by Canadian studio MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple that were designed to resemble traditional fishing huts.
The low-rise nature of the buildings allows for open-plan interior spaces, such as a living room complete with tan-brown leather sofas overlooked by a light-wood panelled ceiling.
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen's image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing domestic gyms, retro green bathrooms and colourful kindergartens.
