Mithimnis Courtyard Apartment

The ground floor has its own separate entrance from the street and a hallway that leads to a large central reception space for living, dining or entertaining. On this floor there are three bedrooms, one bathroom, a workspace and a kitchen with a second dining area. The lower ground floor studio is a cluster of semi-open-air spaces accessible from both a private street entrance and open metal stair from the ground floor kitchen.

The floors are a mix of restored wooden floorboards and a pared-back terrazzo, with subtle variations in tone, colour and aggregate size between rooms. The ground floor shower enclosure, bathroom wet areas and a generously sized kitchen workbench are made from a richly veined Cipollino marble. Sinks and splashbacks are formed of simple stacked marble pieces. A large marble table by artist Theodore Psychoyos is the centrepiece of the ground floor.

The apartment is in a restored “simplified classical”-style building in Kypseli, built in the 1920s. An eclectic facade with art deco detailing gives the impression of a single residence, originally housing two grand apartments and later, a drawing school. A recent refurbishment in collaboration with London-based architects, Royffe Flynn, preserves the proportions, textures and grandeur of the spaces, while updating with modern amenities. The garden has been designed by renowned Greek landscape architect Helli Pangalou, planted with native, drought-tolerant species accustomed to the hot Athenian summers, with a seating area on pebble-cement pavers under a lemon tree.

The apartment is in the lively Athenian neighbourhood of Kypseli – a five-minute walk from Agiou Georgiou Square, well-known for its tavernas and local bars, and one of Athens’s largest public parks, Pedion tou Areos. It is within walking distance to the weekly Farmers Market, the Victoria metro station, and Kypseli’s busy and lovely tree-lined pedestrian square, Fokionos Negri, occupied by small cafés, restaurants, bars and shops.