Nikos Koulis presents his new flagship in Athens, located at Voukourestiou street, the revered home of luxury shopping in the center of the city. The store encapsulates the ethos of artistic aesthetic and intricate craftsmanship that defines the brand.
Designed by the London-based Bureau de Change in close collaboration with Nikos Koulis, the store reflects his creative idiosyncrasy and personal affinity for an assemblage of art, furniture and objects from different eras.
At its core, the flagship is meant to be experienced as an intrinsic and atmospheric sanctuary, transcending the commercial character of a store. The design begins streetside, taking the simple facade of the 1960’s building and subverting the language of a typically over-glazed storefront, with an irregularly shaped window which offers only glimpses of the interior - creating an intrigue for passersby and inviting them to pause to view.
Surrounding this window, the facade takes its proportions from the nearby Athenian city walls and reproduces them in aluminium – a reference to the new material in Koulis’ jewelry creations. Where the aluminium meets the street, the material shifts to solid slabs of travertine and marble, framing the
window and merging the contemporary with the ancient, a nod to the Greek roots of the brand and the designer, echoing a sense of history and continuity.
The heavy construction of the multiple layers of solid materials are juxtaposed with the delicate work in the details: the aluminium is embossed with a pattern reminiscent of 19th Century jewellery boxes and the extruded aluminium door handle is folded and inlaid with gold, alluding to the precious materials within.
Preserving the bespoke nature and the imaginative essence of the brand, the store incorporates custom pieces, including a tea table and desk mirror designed by Bureau de Change and a wall hung mirror by Nikos Koulis himself. Koulis’ longtime collaborator in his first Athens flagship, as well as his Mykonos and Paros stores, Stavros Papagiannis from the Athens-based Stage Design Office, contributed to the interior design.
ADDRESS
Voukourestiou Street 21B, Athens 106 71 — Tel: +30 210-3388983
WhatsApp:+30 6974049205