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Point Supreme uses raw concrete to enhance "magical cave-like" feel of Athens apartment

Greek architecture firm Point Supreme has transformed a semi-basement storage space in Athens into a small one-bedroom home.

The apartment is located at the base of a typical Athenian polykatoikia – a concrete residential block with tiered balconies – in the suburban neighbourhood of Ilioupoli.

The apartment is located in the semi-basement of a residential block

Daylight only penetrates into the sunken, 56-square-metre space from above on one side, giving it a "magical cave-like" feeling that Point Supreme wanted to retain.

"It's very appropriate and pleasant given the warm weather and strong sun in Athens during most of the year," said founders Konstantinos Pantazis and Mariana Rentzou.

"The goal of the renovation became to strengthen this feeling."

Cork panelling features behind the bed

Key features of the space such as the steel windows and doors as well as the raw concrete surfaces of columns, beams and ceilings were retained.

An existing small toilet was extended to make space for a shower. But apart from this, no internal walls were added in order to make the space feel as large as possible.

Instead, floor finishes, furniture, sliding partitions, hanging shelves and curtains were used to separate the apartment into different zones.

The apartment's raw concrete columns and ceilings were left exposed

"These create the illusion of depth," said the studio.

"Coupled with different details and aesthetic choices, they create an especially pleasant and rich visual result."

Point Supreme chose a tactile, warm-hued material palette to enhance the cavernous feeling of the apartment, from a timber screen with built-in bench seating at the apartment's entrance to cork panelling and a sliding Corten-steel partition in the bedroom.

In the kitchen, custom-made red Formica and melamine cabinetry with plywood countertops sit alongside a rust-coloured table and the owners' vintage chairs.

Red accents cabinetry features in the custom-made kitchen

The glazed Cotto tiles covering the floor of the main space were salvaged from storage. These kinds of ceramic tiles were popular in the 1970s, the studio said, when they were used to cover verandas and porticos in holiday homes throughout Greece.

In the apartment, they complement the rough texture of the raw concrete while adding a sense of warmth.

Blue tiles cover all surfaces in the bathroom

Blue is used as an accent colour on a curtain, a strip of floor tiles at the entrance to the bedroom and across all surfaces in the bathroom, where it creates the impression of being submerged underwater.

Point Supreme used a similar zoning strategy when refurbishing another apartment in Athens with a green-stained plywood storage wall.

_Photography is byYiannis Hadjiaslanis and Point Supreme. _

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Rooi uses plywood joinery to revamp post-war Chinese apartment for modern life

Multifunctional plywood structures that create spaces for sleeping, storage and drinking tea feature in this compact apartment in Beijing designed by Rooi.

Rooi aimed to create a unique apartment in the block of thirty-six identical units that was built in 1950 to provide accommodation for the families of workers employed at a nearby research institution.

Top: the apartment is located in a 1950s housing block. Above: one of its original columns was clad in stone and turned into a feature

At the time the apartment was built, China faced an influx of people moving to its cities, meaning that living spaces were often tight.

"There was no living room, no dining room or shower in each household," Rooi explained.

"This type of layout represents the standard post-war Chinese apartment."

Rooi created an open-plan area for cooking and dining with a work table at its centre

As the cost of tearing down old buildings is so high in Beijing, Rooi was tasked with coming up with a modern but economical apartment concept, called T101, that could be replicated in each of the 36 units to make them more private, functional and livable.

"The project's core was to find a way to adjust the old collective residence into modern city life and retain its previous structure, recovering the degraded green areas," said ROOI.

"The budget was limited to ¥150,000 [£16,800] per apartment and T101 would be the first experimental renovation example."

A modular birch plywood unit can act as a reception, tea room or temporary guest room

Rooi came up with a floor plan that incorporates a bedroom, living room, kitchen, dining room and bathroom all within the unit's tight 50-square-metre footprint.

Designed to appeal to the city's college students and white-collar workers, the layout features an open-plan area for cooking and dining with a work table at its centre.

This area provides enough space for residents to receive guests, work from home, relax in an armchair or exercise.

Bulk items such as sports equipment can be stored on top of the plywood module

An original column is positioned in the centre of the space and has been clad in stone to protect it and turn it into a design feature.

Running along one side of this flexible space, an enclosed north-facing structure made from birch plywood serves as a reception, tea room or temporary guest room.

Above the wooden enclosure, a large storage area can hold suitcases, outdoor sports equipment and other bulky items. A small toilet and a shower room are located on the opposite side of the space next to the apartment's entrance.

The bedroom is separated from the rest of the apartment and features a custom plywood bed with shelving built into its tall headboard, while a compact desk is located next to the window. The walls are lined with slim cabinets for additional storage.

Neutral colours and materials were chosen throughout so that the owners can put their own stamp on the interior.

A bookcase is integrated into the head of the bed

"The apartment was designed as open as possible and functionally very compacted," the architecture studio told Dezeen.

"Natural materials and colour have been used throughout the design to create a comfortable and peaceful feel in contrast with contemporary city life."

The bedroom is separated from the rest of the flat

Elsewhere, design studio I IN has created concept apartment in Tokyo to reframe the way that Japanese homeowners perceive renovated apartments.

Photography is byWeiqi Jin.

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Olga Fradina uses dark colours and natural textures to create cosy Kyiv apartment

Interior designer Olga Fradina has reorganised the plan of this small apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine, to incorporate a dark-hued, open-plan living area where the owner can host meditation and tea ceremonies.

The 45 square-metre flat is located on the top floor of a five-storey Soviet apartment building and belongs to a young fashion designer.

The open-plan living space includes a home office and dining area

Its floor plan had to be completely redesigned in order to accommodate all of the client's requirements and make enough room for her various mindfulness practices.

"It was obvious that there had to be a replanning to make enough space for all the expected functional zones," said Fradina. "It was jigsawed together like a puzzle until every part was in its due place."

Brickwork throughout the apartment is painted a deep blue

The location of the bedroom and kitchen were switched to create a large, open-plan living space complete with a dining area, home office, wardrobe and tea lounge.

The wall that divided the bathroom, entrance hall and living room was moved to fit in a full-sized shower unit and create room in the hallway to install a built-in storage system.

A low coffee table is used for tea ceremonies

Fradina balanced dark colours with natural textures to keep the multifunctional space from looking "overweight", with the brick walls painted a deep blue and the pinewood ceilings stained chocolate brown.

To create a more open, spacious feeling, all of the interior doors were removed and the bedroom can now be closed off with a curtain.

Fradina stained the wooden ceilings to a dark, moody interior

Save for the sofa and dining chairs, Fradina designed all of the furniture for the apartment, using simple, geometric forms that recall classic mid-century designs.

These are contrasted against more traditional craft items such as Ukrainian hlechyky tableware, which according to Fradina are vessels designed specifically for milk and porridge. This set was made in collaboration with ceramicist 8 Komora.

Storage is built into the apartment

Throughout the apartment, the floor is finished in dark grey micro-cement, which the designer said creates a "perfect background" for the rough texture of the surrounding furniture and home objects.

This includes the low wooden tea table, custom made by local furniture maker Staritska Maysternya, the rattan lounge chairs, wooden shelves, bamboo shutters, sisal carpet and the wooden ceiling.

Save for these chairs, all of the furnishings were designed by Fradina

Moody interiors like this one can often be a response to "darker times", according to renowned Swedish interior stylist Lotta Agaton.

"During recent years of stability and safety, we have had bright white spaces that are open for exposure," she said in an interview with Dezeen. "But in darker times, when the political and economic climate gets more uncertain, you want to nest a little bit."

Photography is by ​Yevhenii Avramenko.

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