campana brothers: new hotel athens

image © designboom

located 200 meters from syntagma (constitution) square, the most central part of athens, greece, the 'new hotel athens' has recently
opened its doors. dakis joannou, owner of yes! hotels, has chosen the brazilian design-duo campana brothers (humberto and fernando campana)
to reinterpret the former olympic palace hotel that was originally built in 1958 by architect iasonas rizos.
the design process took the form of a workshop together with design and architecture students from university of thessaly.

using unexpected combinations of found objects, materials and fabric off-cuts, the campana brothers created a vocabulary of design,
giving poetry to everyday objects. with this renovation project, the brothers joined together the charm of ancient athens with modern
amenities, keeping some of the original features of the building and recycling furniture pieces of the former hotel, while adding their
handmade chairs and lamps -- a blend of art, sculpture and design.



image © designboom

the hotel rooms washbasin with mirrored surface assimilate a rock or a diamond.


image © designboom



'favela' chair by campana brothers for edra
image © designboom

there are three different room types that reflect the athenian culture. the 'karagiozis' room (turkish meaning 'dark eye') is decorated
with figures of the 'karagoiozis' - a traditional shadow puppet of greek folklore theatre. the second room type embraces the 'evil eye',
a superstitious bead that guards against bad omens, and the third displays historic post cards giving visitors insight into old athens.


'karagiozis' room
image © designboom

'karagiozis' figures
image © designboom



balcony with re-edited thonet chairs
image © designboom

part of the project was to re-create existing chairs - here shown the thonet chairs with additional upholstery.



'post card' room
image © designboom

a collage of postcards shows images and photographs of old athens.


close-up of the postcards on the wall
image © designboom




'evil eye' room
image © designboom



image © designboom



the room is divided by a two-sided mirror, leading to the bathroom
image © designboom



bathroom with diamond shaped washbasin
image © designboom



spa bathroom - the washbasin is made of marble, illuminated from the inside
image © designboom



reception area / main entry of the hotel
image © designboom

the workshop group created furniture, producing samples and prototypes whilst exploring methods and techniques associated
with the campanas style: reusing and reinterpreting local material and culture. the favela wall incorporates memories and recollections
of the former hotel - parts of doors and furniture pieces decorate the walls of the reception area.


'favela wall' in the reception area
image © designboom



detail of favela wall - original furniture pieces and lamps from the former hotel
image © designboom



restaurant and cafe
image © designboom



image © designboom




image © designboom

home-made pastries and fresh, local fruits and vegetables are served daily.
the in-house cafe and restaurant is also open to the public during the day.


breakfast buffet
image © designboom

the buffet with local fruits and vegetables freshly served from the market.


room entry
image © designboom



mirror ceiling
image © designboom



original staircase
image © designboom



lounge with 'favela' chairs
image © designboom



business lounge and conference area
image © designboom