Deliberate Restraint: Mithimnis Apartment in Athens by Molonglo & Royffe Flynn.

Mithimnis Apartment is one in a series of apartments by Greek-Australian development company Molonglo sprinkled across the culturally rich city of Athens. Situated in Kypseli and Koukaki—two neighbourhoods geographically distinct, but linked by their energy and charm—the apartments represent an act of reverse ruination.

Working alongside London-based architecture practice Royffe Flynn, the team have restored these modern ruins and invested in them through sensitive renovation and repair. The goal of the project is to breathe new life into the spaces through a process of deliberate restraint.

Mithimnis is a ‘simplified classical’-style building in Kypseli, constructed in the 1920s. An eclectic, grand facade with Art Deco detailing hides the presence of two apartments housed within it. Both are airy, split over two levels, with ceilings that rise to six metres in places.

The first-floor apartment has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a rooftop terrace; while the ground-floor apartment contains four bedrooms and two bathrooms, including a lower-ground-floor studio and private courtyard garden.

Celebration of Subtleties: Zacharitsa Live-Work Apartment in Athens by Molonglo & Royffe Flynn.

Small and flexible, the home-work-shop hybrid, housed within a typical post-war polykatoikia, was developed in collaboration with Royffe Flynn...

Royffe Flynn refurbished the apartment, faithfully preserving the proportions and original features of the spaces while introducing contemporary comforts and fixtures. It was important to the collaborators to honour the site’s original builders and craftspeople, with the apartment bearing evidence of a continuing dialogue with textural materials. Respected local tradespeople were also chosen to ensure the quality and integrity of renovations.

The floors are a mix of restored timber and a pared-back terrazzo. Bathroom wet areas and kitchen workbenches have been crafted from a textural, richly veined Cipollino marble, while sinks and splashbacks are formed from simple stacked marble pieces. The Mithimnis apartments are particularly emblematic of Molongo’s devotion to preserving the existing bones of a site while investing it with a sense of timeless sophistication.

There are eight completed apartments in Kypseli and one in Koukaki. A further two are scheduled for completion in June 2023, with others to follow. They are available to rent on a long-term basis by those intending to live in Athens for a minimum of 12 months.

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Part public art work, part public space, LESS consists of 36 concrete columns and a circular ramp that leads to a viewing platform over a shallow stream...

[Images courtesy of Molonglo. Photography by Lorenzo Zandri.]