bring the light in
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client: private

location: Voula / Glyfada

architectural design: archivirus

construction: gabigrup

materials: aronis signed design

date: 2012

 

This project is about the renovation of a single family house in the area of Voula, in Glyfada. The client’s main concern was to have a brighter house in terms of natural light without making any changes in the existing facades. The dark wooden floors and frames of the house in addition to the fragmented floor plan in smaller spaces made the feeling of lack of light even stronger. The main goal of the design proposal was to bring the light in, in every possible way. The living room area offered two windows and one glass door, the dining room two windows and the kitchen in a separate room just one window. We were in need of more light sources for every space of the daily zone. The living room area bordered via a door with an extra room which the family used as a smaller rest area for the children. The family’s complain about this room was that it was completely cut off from the rest of the space resulting in an isolated area. We tried to reinvent a border between these two spaces proposing a totally different wall unit. A piece of furniture of the living room becomes part of the left side of the wall unit, which is used also as a bench for both spaces. A passage in the middle and a bookcase integrated in the right side of the wall unit. The new border is multifunctional connecting and disconnecting the two spaces at the same time. In addition the new wall unit allows the light from the smaller space to diffuse into the living room area. The opening and the passage of the new boarder can close at will with three sliding panels creating a comfortable guest room. The proposal of an open plan kitchen with the demolition of the wall between the kitchen and the dining room offered even more light in the whole space. The previous narrow and dark hallway towards the stairs is now filled with light while a big wardrobe runs across its length. The new proposed materials are natural oak wood for the floors, the bench and the sliding panels and a bright white for the kitchen with some light blue cabinets. Natural bright colors are also used for the bathrooms giving a totally fresh breath to the whole house.