Life & Style | Home & Interiors
Festive Greek home is in the pink
Fine decorative details and an abundance of festive feeling on the outskirts of Athens
- By Ania Kokolodimitrak for InsideOut magazine
- Published: 00:00 December 15, 2011
- Image Credit: Costas Picadas/ANM
- The chandelier, armchairs and side table are all modern interpretations of traditional Louis XV shapes and styles.
In the Glyfada area of Athens, Greece, sits a modern two-storey home bursting with splashes of vibrant hues and bathed in natural light.
Angie Georgakopoulou has all the credentials for conceiving an exquisitely designed home. In addition to having an architect father and a husband who is a creative director, Angie's successful career in graphic design and her current exhibition-organising business, Only For You, has meant that it was imperative to have a home that would reflect her elegant style and her love of unexpected colour combinations, which she adores. In this suburban home, the couple chose to work on a neutral background, painting all the walls white.
There are some interesting colourful interventions throughout the house, such as the alcoves flanking the fireplace in the lounge that are decorated in wallpaper and the deep red wall behind the bed in the master bedroom that reveals boldness and sophisticated romanticism.
With the help of her father they designed the interior layout in a free and open plan. A white wooden staircase, with steps painted in a sweet pink to resemble carpet and edged in khaki, connects the living room to the bedrooms.
In the central area of the living room the eye is disarmed by the classical chairs which were transformed into modern classic interpretations with white wooden frames by the joiner, Sotiris Skordas. Welcome accents appear in the form of fuchsia fabrics from the line Obrione, and curtains from Designers Guild.
On one side of the living room, a stylish sofa in a grey beige shade completes the scene. Opposite, a quintessential English sofa with patterned and striped fabrics and large cushions coexists with a framed mirror sourced from London's famed Portobello Flea Market in Notting Hill where Angie and her husband travel frequently to buy decorative objects for their homes.
Christmas in Greece is celebrated quite traditionally, with green and red the prevalent tones seen through windows across the country. In keeping with Angie's relative radicalism when it comes to decor, she has shunned the bushy fir tree that is a mainstay in the majority of Greek homes for a sleek artificial white tree decorated with balls and ornaments in bold pink and fuchsia.
As an artist she likes to create and make her own ornaments and objects, like the mirror boxes wrapped with ribbons in bright colours that adorn the base of the tree and the Christmas baubles created from disco balls. Faux flower brooches and hair decorations from Accessorize in London appealed to her imaginative streak and were used to decorate the Christmas tree.
Angie's favourite room is the postmodern kitchen painted in a soft sweetened barley tone, highlighted with dashes of pink.
In the dining room, a rectangular table designed by the sculptor Nicholas Klouvatou, is complemented by the instantly recognisable Louis Ghost chairs designed by Philippe Starck for the Italian firm Kartell. Crystal coloured glasses, dishes with elaborate borders, silver flatware, candlesticks, vases, flowers and candles all work together to create a festive table ideal for entertaining.
Moving upstairs, the master bedroom plays host to a striking headboard dressed in brocade patterned fabric to match the cassis wall colour, which is the main focus in the room. The floorlamp and chandelier were sourced from Habitat in Paris and gives the room a gentle light. The atmosphere of relaxation is aided by the many decorative pillows piled on the bed in varying patterns and fabrics tied together by the constant themes of white, taupe and shades of rose.
A stencilled statement greets you as you cross the threshold to this light, bright home, making sure that her design ethos leaves no room for interpretation: "I love lots of colours what I can't stand is pastel hues - they are so boring." Angie adds with a smile, "I love this house because I did it all myself and I think it represents who I am."
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