Eyewear Store in Greece by 314 Architecture Studio Framed by an Imaginary Floating Cube.

Designed by 314 Architecture Studio, C_29 / Optimist is a modern eyewear store located in a crumbling building in Chalkida, Greece. We love seeing projects where the original bones of a space have driven the design process, and a concept is pursued that both respects and enhances the existing structure and history. 314 Architecture Studio have so cleverly achieved this, combining the purity of a sharp gallery space with the earthy layered materiality of an interwar listed building.

You could say the over-arching concept was to create a ‘blurred boundary’ effect, something achieved in many ways in the design. The floating cube courtyard plays with perspective and framing, making the space appear as if it is squeezed between the two aged stonewalls.

We love the contrast between the crisp white cement and the dirty un-finished rear of the courtyard. Rather than opting for simple furniture and storage, 314 Architecture Studio designed custom solutions with mirrored surfaces and prismatic features, such as the storage feature that runs though the centre of the space and the bar in the courtyard. These items appear more like sculptures rather than everyday utilitarian objects, and the pairing of mirrored and white surfaces adds to the blurring of boundaries, constantly bouncing light around the space. The features of the old building are celebrated, including its layers of masonry, reinforced concrete and brickwork, giving the new slick white finish a textured undertone.

Related Post: Thin Black Lines, Revisited.

[Images courtesy of 314 Architecture Studio. Photography by Panagiotis Voumvakis.]