City Moments Villa

Αρχιτεκτονική Μελέτη / Μελέτη Διακόσμησης: Δημιουργική ΑΕ
Τοποθεσία: Κέντρος Χανίων
Περίοδος Μελέτης: Νοέμβριος 2020 - Μάρτιος 2021
Περίοδος Κατασκευής: Νοέμβριος 2022 – Ιούλιος 2023
Επιφάνεια Οικοπέδου: 670 τ.μ.
Σύνολο τετραγωνικών κατοικιών: 405τ.μ.

Type:Touristic Residencies

CITY MOMENTS VILLA

The project concerns the restoration and the new interior design of a neoclassical building of 405 sq.m., built in 1932, intended for residential use, in the centre of Chania city.

It is an old tile-roofed stone two-storey building, on a corner plot of 670sq.m., which is surrounded by two main roads, resulting in the building being ground floor on one side and semi-basement on the other, due to the slope of the ground. At the same time, the surrounding area was landscaped with the creation of an enclosed tree-lined courtyard with two entrances, one per street.

The building originally served as a residence, while over time it has undergone numerous interventions, mainly internally. The south (main) facade has two entrances, a central one in the square volume and a secondary one in the smaller eastern one. This elevation is the most impressive of the building, as it has plasterwork around the perimeter of all the windows, a plaster cornice and three false columns. The two entrance windows are wood paneled, with decorative details. The entrance level of the house is raised above street level, marking the main entrance and reinforcing the symmetry of the elevation. The remaining elevations remain simple.

The main objectives of the architectural study were, firstly, to highlight the remarkable architectural elements of the building, in combination with the restoration of its shell and secondly, the obvious internal distinction of the floors through the morphology. The building was converted into a single, now two-storey dwelling, to which an internal staircase was added. Through the intervention, the semi-basement and the ground floor create an immediately recognisable dipole of character and style in order to function independently.

Specifically, the ground floor includes the living areas, an open-plan living room-dining room-dining room-kitchen and sleeping areas, three bedrooms with private bathrooms. The semi-basement includes an open-plan kitchen-dining-living room, two bedrooms with private bathrooms and a relaxation area with an indoor swimming pool. The peculiarity of the new configuration of the basement lies in the fact that the living areas are in direct contact with the surrounding area and the new outdoor pool, while the living area separates the private spaces from the public spaces, acting as a filter.

The building originally served as a residence, while over time it has undergone numerous interventions, mainly internally. The south (main) facade has two entrances, a central one in the square volume and a secondary one in the smaller eastern one. This elevation is the most impressive of the building, as it has plasterwork around the perimeter of all the windows, a plaster cornice and three false columns. The two entrance windows are wood paneled, with decorative details. The entrance level of the house is raised above street level, marking the main entrance and reinforcing the symmetry of the elevation. The remaining elevations remain simple.

The main objectives of the architectural study were, firstly, to highlight the remarkable architectural elements of the building, in combination with the restoration of its shell and secondly, the obvious internal distinction of the floors through the morphology. The building was converted into a single, now two-storey dwelling, to which an internal staircase was added. Through the intervention, the semi-basement and the ground floor create an immediately recognisable dipole of character and style in order to function independently.

Specifically, the ground floor includes the living areas, an open-plan living room-dining room-dining room-kitchen and sleeping areas, three bedrooms with private bathrooms. The semi-basement includes an open-plan kitchen-dining-living room, two bedrooms with private bathrooms and a relaxation area with an indoor swimming pool. The peculiarity of the new configuration of the basement lies in the fact that the living areas are in direct contact with the surrounding area and the new outdoor pool, while the living area separates the private spaces from the public spaces, acting as a filter.

The ground floor is chosen to acquire the character of an urban contemporary residence, with references to objects and textures of earlier decades. Parquet wooden flooring, objects with golden details, marble and leather, strong elements of the building's reconstruction era are the main decorative principles. In all areas of the house, furniture, equipment and decorative details - elements of the contemporary trend - create a contrast with the existing space and bridge yesterday with today.

The semi-basement, on the contrary, becomes a place of relaxation, with references to holiday homes. Internally, it manages to combine local architecture with modern design, both in terms of floor plan and in the use of materials, where stone and wood dominate, both internally and externally. In other words, a living space is created within the urban centre in complete harmony with nature, combining the pressed concrete with natural wood, the solidity of stone walls and Mediterranean plants.