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Yatzer
March 30, 2026

Located in Silver Lake, a hip Los Angeles neighbourhood best known for the modernist houses clinging to its hillsides, this compact, 93-square-metre 1940s bungalow is the West Coast home of architect Gabriel Yuri, founder of New York-based New Operations Workshop. Conceived as a spatial manifesto for his cross-disciplinary design practice, the two-bedroom house underwent a year-long renovation that sought not to overwrite its past but to subtly recalibrate it. White-painted surfaces establish a calm, neutral backdrop, allowing an eclectic yet tightly edited mix of mid-century icons, 1970s Italian design and contemporary furniture to come to the fore. The result is an interior where European design lineage, urban sensibility and West Coast light intersect with a sense of quiet assurance.

Based between New York and California, Yuri purchased the property to spend more time on the West Coast, where he is currently working on a Neutra designed residence in Hollywood. The choice of Silver Lake was a natural choice: the neighbourhood’s concentration of modernist landmarks, including the Neutra VDL House and John Lautner’s Silvertop, offered both context and inspiration. Long a haven for artists, musicians and writers, its walkable, bohemian character offers something else too: a rhythm closer to that of New York.

The bungalow’s covered veranda stretches along the façade like an outdoor corridor, framed by white-painted beams and dark window trim. A relaxed seating area and small dining setup overlook dense greenery, while canvas loungers and potted plants reinforce the home’s easy Californian indoor–outdoor lifestyle and understated bohemian character.

Photography by Graham Dunn.

Architect Gabriel Yuri sits in a suspended leather sling chair by Studio Stirling within the living room of his Silver Lake bungalow. Framed by the burnt-orange Marenco sofa and sculptural coffee tables, the portrait captures the designer amid the carefully curated interior where midcentury architecture, contemporary art and 1970s design references converge.

Portrait of Gabriel Yuri. Photography by Clarke Tolton.

A wide view of the living room reveals the bungalow’s pitched ceiling with exposed beams and a soft globe pendant. The burnt-orange Marenco sofa anchors the space opposite gridded ceramic coffee tables, while sculptural lighting, artworks and cacti introduce playful vertical accents within the eclectic mix of midcentury and 1970s Italian design influences. — Vintage "Marenco" sofa by **Mario Marenco** for Arflex; "Pk22" lounge chair by **Poul Kjaerholm**; Console table by **New Operations Workshop**; Pendant lamp by **Rich Brilliant Willing**; Vintage floor light by **Eileen Gray**; Table lamp by Isamu Noguchi; Fiber artwork “Folding” by **Luam Melake**; Triangular artwork by **Greg Copeland**. Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

The bungalow’s renovation hinged on restraint. “The biggest challenge was modernizing the space while still staying true to the historic 1940s charm,” Yuri explains. Rather than dramatically altering its modest footprint, he preserved its scale and proportions, keeping both the pitched ceilings and elongated front porch intact. The intervention’s main focus was clarity, as Yuri notes: “We decided to let the walls be a blank white canvas and allow for some special pops of colour and texture to come through the décor.”

Those pops confidently surface in the living room, where a vintage “Marenco” sofa by Mario Marenco for Arflex, reupholstered in burnt orange velvet, establishes the spatial and visual centre of gravity. “1970s Italian design was a big source of inspiration,” Yuri says, most notably expressed through a series of tubular chrome forms such as console supports and planters that lend a subtle glamour throughout the house. Marble and rough stone accents introduce tactile counterpoints, while mid-century pieces, including lighting by Charlotte Perriand, Eileen Gray and Isamu Noguchi, connect the scheme to the home’s postwar roots.

Seen from behind the Marenco sofa, the living room stretches toward the dining area through a plaster archway. A tall cactus in a polished chrome planter introduces vertical drama beside a ceramic wall artwork, while warm timber floors and soft daylight reinforce the bungalow’s eclectic blend of midcentury-modern restraint and sculptural accents. — Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

The dining area pairs a simple timber table with dark wooden chairs beneath a sculptural pendant lamp that diffuses soft light. A cactus in a reflective chrome planter anchors the centrepiece, while framed artworks and recessed wall niches introduce subtle layers of texture within the room’s calm, minimalist envelope.

Chairs by House of Leon; Custom dining table; Photograph by Wolfgang Tillmans. Photography by Graham Dunn.

A sculptural console vignette highlights the bungalow’s eclectic material palette: a marble slab rests on polished cylindrical chrome legs, reflecting warm timber floors. Tall ceramic vases filled with wild, sculptural florals flank minimalist wall sconces, while small art objects and glass vessels create a balanced composition rooted in midcentury-modern restraint and 1970s-inspired glamour.

Photography by Graham Dunn.

The seating area unfolds as a layered composition of textures and forms: plush velvet Marenco modules, gridded ceramic tables and a minimalist hanging chair by Studio Stirling. Sculptural wall art and soft evening light accentuate the home’s eclectic dialogue between 1970s Italian design, contemporary art and midcentury-modern architecture. — Vintage "Marenco" sofa by **Mario Marenco** for Arflex; Hanging chair by **Studio Stirling**; Table lamp by Isamu Noguchi; Fiber artwork “Folding” by **Luam Melake**. Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

A minimalist hanging chair by Studio Stirling—leather sling suspended from a tubular steel ring—forms a sculptural corner vignette. Beside it, a tall cactus and a framed photographic portrait lean casually against the wall, reinforcing the bungalow’s blend of contemporary art, midcentury-modern furniture and relaxed Californian sensibility. — Hanging chair by **Studio Stirling**. Photography by Graham Dunn.

From the furniture and artworks to the smallest decorative flourish, every element in the house attest to Yuri’s eclectic flair and curatorial sensibility. Take the living room for example: a cubic coffee table clad in square ceramic tiles accentuates the sofa’s retro undertones, while a minimalist hanging chair by South African Studio Stirling, consisting of a leather sling suspended from a tubular ring, introduces a sculptural counterpoint. American artist Luam Melake’s hand-stitched foam artwork "Folding" adds a textural presence above, while cacti punctuate the room with vertical drama.

The living room unfolds beneath a pitched ceiling with exposed white beams and a globe pendant, framing a burnt-orange Marenco sofa by Mario Marenco. Ceramic-tiled coffee tables, sculptural wall art and chrome accents contribute to the home’s eclectic blend of midcentury-modern clarity, 1970s Italian influences and biophilic touches. — Vintage "Marenco" sofa by **Mario Marenco** for Arflex; "Pk22" lounge chair by **Poul Kjaerholm**; Console table by **New Operations Workshop**; Pendant lamp by **Rich Brilliant Willing**; Vintage floor light by **Eileen Gray**; Table lamp by Isamu Noguchi; Fiber artwork “Folding” by **Luam Melake**; Triangular artwork by **Greg Copeland**. Photography by Graham Dunn.

Natural light washes across the living area of Gabriel Yuri’s Silver Lake home, highlighting a modular ceramic-tile coffee table and layered textiles. A low metal console and sculptural objects sit beneath wide windows, while a minimalist lounge chair and geometric pendant reinforce the interior’s eclectic blend of midcentury-modern clarity and 1970s design references.

"Pk22" lounge chair by Poul Kjaerholm; Console table by New Operations Workshop; Pendant lamp by Rich Brilliant Willing; Vintage floor light by Eileen Gray; Triangular artwork by Greg Copeland. Photography by Graham Dunn.

A low stainless-steel bench beneath the window displays a quiet arrangement of books, ceramics and small stones, echoing the home’s curated, gallery-like sensibility. Soft daylight filters through the window frame, illuminating tactile contrasts between brushed metal, rough volcanic stone supports and pale timber flooring.

Console table by New Operations Workshop. Photography by Graham Dunn.

A marble console supported by polished cylindrical chrome legs forms a refined vignette beneath a curved plaster archway. Floral arrangements, sculptural objects and a tall cactus in a chrome planter balance organic and reflective materials, illustrating the project’s dialogue between midcentury-modern restraint, 1970s glamour and carefully curated decorative details.

Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

A narrow kitchen alcove centres on a slender plant emerging from a rugged stone base, positioned against a bright window that floods the space with soft daylight. Terrazzo-style countertops, minimalist cabinetry and the red-and-charcoal chequerboard floor underscore the interior’s restrained yet playful midcentury-inspired palette.

Photography by Graham Dunn.

The kitchen corner pairs terrazzo-style countertops and matte-black fixtures with white cabinetry and the distinctive red-and-charcoal chequerboard floor. Daylight streaming through a trio of windows illuminates the restrained composition, where simple appliances, ceramic vessels and clean lines express the bungalow’s balance of practicality and design clarity.

Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

A narrow galley kitchen pairs terrazzo-style countertops and crisp white cabinetry with a red-and-charcoal chequerboard floor that injects graphic energy. Open shelving displays ceramics and kitchenware, while daylight from a side window softens the composition, balancing mid-century domestic simplicity with subtle vintage-retro accents. — Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

In the kitchen, all-white cabinetry, chosen to remain faithful to the home’s original character, is animated by terrazzo-style countertops and a red-hued chequerboard floor that injects graphic energy. Vintage ceramics and Hasami dishware soften the composition, while matte black fixtures and darkened hardware sharpen its edges.

A close-up of the kitchen counter reveals integrated black gas burners set into a terrazzo-style surface. The speckled stone pattern contrasts with matte black controls and white cabinetry below, illustrating the home’s balance of functional clarity and carefully considered material textures.

Photography by Clarke Tolton.

A narrow display ledge presents a still-life composition of glass vessels and dried botanical stems, their transparent forms catching warm sunlight against a white plaster wall. The arrangement emphasises Gabriel Yuri’s curatorial approach to everyday objects, where minimal gestures, delicate materials and quiet shadow play contribute to the bungalow’s restrained yet eclectic atmosphere.

Photography by Graham Dunn.

Corner kitchen in Gabriel Yuri’s Silver Lake bungalow with terrazzo-style countertops wrapping beneath white-framed windows. Matte-black fixtures, integrated gas burners and simple Shaker-style cabinetry reinforce a restrained, midcentury-inspired palette, while soft daylight washes the textured surface and carefully placed ceramics, highlighting the home’s balance of practicality and quiet design refinement. — Pendant lamp by **Luft Tanaka**; Framed photograph by **Hiroshi Sugimoto**. Photography by Graham Dunn.

A low stainless-steel shelf functions as a minimalist display surface in the bedroom, holding books, stone objects and a framed photograph leaning casually against the wall. Mustard curtains soften the light, while sculptural wooden vessels and tactile materials reinforce the home’s eclectic mix of contemporary art, craft objects and restrained modern design. — Photography by Graham Dunn.

In the bathroom, a cylindrical chrome washbasin wrapped with a custom latex skirt introduces a playful, almost theatrical element. Glass block walls diffuse daylight across white tiles, while a pebble floor, chrome planter with cactus and rough wooden stool create an eclectic interplay of industrial, natural and tactile materials.

Photography by Graham Dunn.

The bathroom’s verticality is emphasised by a pitched ceiling lined with pale plywood and a skylight that floods the space with daylight. Below, the sculptural metal basin with latex skirt stands against tiled walls, while a glass-block window and tall cactus reinforce the room’s playful balance of industrial and biophilic elements.

Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

Perhaps the most irreverent moment arises in the bathroom, which balances industrial cool with tactile warmth. Here, a cylindrical chrome washbasin is fitted with a custom latex skirt and paired with a vintage Art Deco shaving mirror and raw granite shelves. A chainmail-like shower curtain, dark pebble flooring and a tall cactus in a chrome planter heighten the room’s subtle playfulness, while original glass blocks, retained from an earlier iteration, filter daylight across white tile surfaces, casting a diffused glow.

Taken altogether, the house reads as an exercise in calibrated contrast: heritage and modernity, restraint and flair, European design heritage and Californian ease. In Yuri’s hands, the modest bungalow becomes less a showcase than a lived-in composition, a space where disparate influences settle into a quietly confident whole.

A close-up vignette of the bathroom reveals polished chrome fixtures, a circular Art Deco shaving mirror and raw granite wall shelves holding soap and objects. The brushed metal basin and crisp grid of white tiles highlight the room’s blend of industrial refinement and handcrafted textures within Gabriel Yuri’s eclectic renovation of the Silver Lake bungalow. — Photography by Graham Dunn.

Seen from the dining area, a plaster archway frames the living room where a burnt-orange Marenco sofa and gridded ceramic coffee table anchor the composition. Sculptural lighting, curated artworks and tall cacti punctuate the space, illustrating Gabriel Yuri’s layered blend of midcentury-modern architecture and vintage-retro design. — Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

On the veranda, a square outdoor table hosts a quiet summer still life: ripe peaches gathered in a woven bowl, sliced fruit on a wooden board and a stainless-steel vase with delicate flowering stems. Surrounded by greenery, the scene captures the bungalow’s relaxed Californian indoor–outdoor lifestyle.

Photography by Clarke Tolton.

The bungalow’s covered veranda unfolds as a shaded outdoor corridor, where canvas sling chairs with tubular metal frames face a dining table overlooking lush greenery. Potted plants and sculptural objects punctuate the timber deck, while angled sunlight and dark window frames reinforce the home’s relaxed Californian indoor–outdoor rhythm.

Photography by Clarke Tolton.

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Gabriel Yuri’s Silver Lake Home Reflects his Eclectic Flair and Curatorial Sensibility

Yatzer
March 30, 2026

The meeting of historic and contemporary design rarely fails to intrigue, often revealing overlooked qualities and unexpected parallels. Such is the premise of Zaventem Ateliers, an exhibition of contemporary collectible design at the 1934 Art Deco landmark Villa Empain in Brussels (March 11 – 19, 2026), which has been taken over by 32 designers from Zaventem Ateliers. Hosted by the Boghossian Foundation, what makes this project stand out is not simply the collision between eras, but the decision to sidestep the conventions of exhibition-making: rather than arranging objects as static displays, it restores the villa to its original role as a home, each piece becoming part of the property’s daily life.

Lionel Jadot’s metallic chair, formed from angular planes and circular cut-outs, sits poised on a marble landing beside a mirrored wall. Its matte, gold-toned surface absorbs ambient light, while sharp folds and exposed joins contrast with the villa’s richly veined stone and geometric wood grille.

Metal chair by Lionel Jadot. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Mathilde Wittock’s sculptural forms, composed of tubular, organic volumes with raw, textured surfaces, stand like architectural fragments before a dark wooden door. Their earthy tones and porous finish contrast with the smooth marble floor and pale walls, evoking archaeological remnants reassembled within a refined domestic setting.

Bouze Lamps by Mathilde Wittock. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

The villa’s marble staircase becomes a stage for material contrasts: a sinuous installation of metallic wires and flax linen coils descends along the balustrade, while sculptural lighting and furniture pieces punctuate the landing. The interplay between polished stone, woven texture and patinated metal highlights the exhibition’s tactile experimentation. — Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Considered one of the finest Art Deco residences in Europe, the villa was designed in the early 1930s by Swiss architect Michel Polak for Baron Louis Empain. Opulently appointed with luxuriant materials including marble, onyx and exotic woods, the property later served as a museum, a USSR embassy and a media headquarters before being abandoned in the 1980s. Acquired by the Boghossian Foundation in 2006, it underwent a meticulous restoration following years of partial destruction and vandalism, reopening in 2010 as a centre for art and dialogue.

Into this setting enters Zaventem Ateliers, an unconventional creative hub bringing together independent studios working across metal, textiles, ceramics and lighting, bound together by a shared commitment to experimentation and material intelligence. Nowhere is this ethos more evident than in Loumi Le Floc’h’s ongoing project Precious Peels, where aubergine skins are transformed into translucent bio-based surfaces that hover between paper and textile. In the exhibition, her ethereal screen is suspended in a grey marble-clad hall, its colourful patterns and shimmering translucency both contrasting with the sombre setting and subtly echoing its decorative vocabulary.

Loumi Le Floc’h’s translucent Precious Peels screen hovers in the centre of the hall, its layered, organic surfaces diffusing light. Pale greens and rust-toned traces subtly echo the surrounding marble and Art Deco door patterns, establishing a dialogue between bio-based experimentation and architectural symmetry. — *Precious Peels* screen by **Loumi Le Floc’h**. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

KRJST Studio’s monumental jacquard tapestry hangs centrally within the marble-clad hall, its dense, root-like textile relief suspended between two towering stained-glass floor lamps. The soft, tactile surface contrasts with the veined marble walls and polished floors, creating a dialogue between woven intimacy and Art Deco grandeur. — Tapestry by **KRJST Studio**. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Equally striking is KRJST Studio’s monumental jacquard tapestry. Positioned between two oversized stained-glass floor lamps, its organic, root-like texture enters into dialogue with the lamps’ intricate patterning and the surrounding veined marble wall panelling. Adeline Halot’s installation of metallic wires and flax linen coils forms another focal point. Uncoiling along the villa’s staircase, the serpentine intervention partially envelops the balustrade, fusing structure and softness in a single gesture.

If textiles introduce tactility, metal brings along a more assertive material presence. Vladimir Slavov’s monumental floor lamp, a textured bronze piece rising over two and a half metres in height and shaped like a giant flower, approaches illumination as a sculptural event, balancing precision with a raw, almost ritual force. Sharing a similarly elemental language, Maison Jonckers’ Between the Lines coffee table and TATAU side table combine hand-formed oxidised metals with etching-like incisions that recall archaic mark-making while maintaining material refinement.

Maison Jonckers’ Between the Lines coffee table sits low against a backdrop of marble and stained glass. Its hand-formed, oxidised bronze top, incised with etching-like marks, rests on a dark sculptural base, the raw metallic texture absorbing the warm glow of the lamp and asserting a primitive yet refined material presence. — *Between the Lines* coffee table by **Maison Jonckers**. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Vladimir Slavov’s towering bronze floor lamp rises like a molten botanical form against the villa’s veined marble walls. Its textured, hand-worked surface catches ambient light, casting subtle reflections, while a seated visitor introduces scale and presence, reinforcing the work’s sculptural and inhabitable qualities. — Designer **Vladimir Slavov** and his textured bronze and marble floor lamp. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Assembled from standard U and L metal profiles, Thibault Huguet’s LAMP#1 embraces construction constraints and economy of means, transforming industrial components into a deliberately pared-back object. A related logic underpins a metallic chair composed of angular planes by multi-hyphenate artist and designer Lionel Jadot, founder of Zaventem Ateliers, whose contributions throughout the villa reflect his longstanding affinity for repurposed materials and experimental processes.

Glass also plays a significant role, most notably in Lila Farget’s moulded works from the Maze Elements and Ondulations series. The former’s maze-like silhouettes reference the large-scale labyrinth installation she created for her 2024 solo exhibition at the Glass Museum of Charleroi, while the latter emerged from a study of a drop of water, its ripple-like surface animated by integrated blue lighting.

Other highlights include Mathilde Wittock’s sculptural Bouze Lamps, whose tubular forms are grown from two textiles derived from the same plant; Aurélien Veyrat’s wall panels composed of discarded bricks and plaster reclaimed from earlier projects; Pascale Risbourg’s hand-crafted clay candlesticks and column-like objects that draw on architectural and archaeological archetypes; and Cédric Van Parys’ billboard-inspired installation.

In a tiled, mosaic-lined room, Lila Farget’s luminous circular glass piece rests on the floor like a glowing pool. Concentric ripples of turquoise light radiate outward, echoing the surrounding blue-green tesserae and transforming the intimate, curved space into an immersive study of reflection and depth. — *Ondulations* series by **Lila Farget**. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

KRJST Studio’s Hibiki Cabinet stands elevated on a slender metal frame against the villa’s veined marble walls. Its woven jacquard surfaces, rendered in muted metallic tones, introduce a soft, textile tactility that contrasts with the surrounding stone. The cabinet’s refined proportions and layered textures create a quiet yet deliberate tension within the Art Deco setting.

Hibiki Cabinet by KRJST Studio in collaboration with Simon Tentoon. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Mathilde Wittock’s tubular, earth-toned forms stand clustered at the end of a marble corridor, their rough, fibrous surfaces contrasting with the villa’s polished floors and veneered doors. The sculptural volumes, punctured by circular openings, read as architectural fragments quietly inhabiting the Art Deco geometry. — *Bouze Lamps* by **Mathilde Wittock**. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

At first glance, the encounter between these avant-garde works and the villa’s Art Deco heritage appears frictional. The villa’s polished symmetry seems distant from the raw, sometimes radical ethos associated with Zaventem Atelier’s makers. Yet the contrast conceals an affinity. When Art Deco emerged in the 1910s and 1920s, it was decisively forward-looking, propelled by new technologies, new materials and an ambition to redefine modern living. In that sense, both the villa and its temporary occupants emerged from a desire to redefine contemporary living. Bringing these two words together is therefore less a collision than a recalibration: a reminder that innovation is not the monopoly of any single era, but a recurring impulse that emerges when designers actively engage with material, space and the realities of their time.

A minimalist table lamp with a softly rounded shade rests atop an inlaid Art Deco cabinet, set against warm ochre tiles. The lamp’s brushed metal base and restrained form introduce contemporary clarity, while the surrounding materials — lacquered wood, patterned mirror and ceramic tiles — reinforce the villa’s historic character.

LAMP#1 by Thibault Huguet. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

An intimate salon scene unfolds beneath marble walls and geometric wood inlays: a burgundy armchair anchors the corner, layered with a plush pink sculptural cushion, while a stained-glass table lamp casts a green glow. Experimental objects on a wheeled metal table introduce a sense of provisional display within the villa’s formal setting.

Dream Particles aluminum crystal sculpture by Pierre Coddens; Rollmaster metal chair by Thomas Serruys; Sculptural lamp by Lionel Jadot. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

A group portrait of the Zaventem Ateliers designers assembled on the steps of Villa Empain’s Art Deco façade. Framed by geometric bronze doors, stone cladding and stained-glass canopy lights, the collective presence underscores the project’s communal ethos, positioning contemporary makers against the villa’s disciplined symmetry and refined material palette. — Group portrait of the Zaventem Ateliers designers on the steps Villa Empain. Photo by Stan Huaux.

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Zaventem Ateliers Reawakens an Art Deco Landmark in Brussels

The meeting of historic and contemporary design rarely fails to intrigue, often revealing overlooked qualities and unexpected parallels. Such is the premise of Zaventem Ateliers, an exhibition of contemporary collectible design at the 1934 Art Deco landmark Villa Empain in Brussels (March 11 – 19, 2026), which has been taken...

Yatzer
March 30, 2026

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Engineered Precision Meets Sculptural Clarity in a Futuristic Car Showroom in Nanjing

Underpinning the project’s immersive rigour and sleek sophistication is an all-encompassing futuristic design language of sinuous lines, curvaceous volumes, and reflective finishes that echo the aerodynamic profiles and polished bodywork of the vehicles on show. Walls curve seamlessly into ceilings; ceilings swell into bulbous forms, and rounded recesses are carved...

Yatzer
March 30, 2026

In Paris’ 14th arrondissement, within a residential building dating from the 1970s–80s, Atelier Apara has reimagined a 93-square-metre family apartment with the calibrated restraint that defines the practice. Led by co-founders Charlotte Guillochon and Victor Mesguich, the studio approaches renovation as an act of revelation rather than embellishment, pairing structural honesty with material precision. Completed in 2026, the project embodies this ethos through a careful balance of raw surfaces, refined detailing and purposeful colour.

A restrained 1970s residential façade in Paris frames Atelier Apara’s Sarette renovation, its pale concrete grid punctuated by recessed balconies and white balustrades. Bare winter branches soften the rigid geometry, while a modest courtyard with reflecting pool foregrounds the building’s quiet modernist austerity and contextual urban character.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The dining area is framed by raw concrete walls and pale parquet flooring, where a round glass table with tubular chrome legs anchors the space. A white conical pendant descends from a surface-mounted conduit, while okoumé cabinetry and green-veined marble surfaces introduce warmth against the mineral backdrop.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

A minimalist living room pairs a low, tufted charcoal sofa with a circular glass table on tubular steel legs. Raw concrete walls and a floating metal shelf establish a restrained industrial backdrop, while generous windows and balcony doors draw in muted daylight, amplifying the apartment’s calm spatial rhythm. — Photography by Philippe Billard.

Tasked with expanding a three-room apartment into a four-room home, the team radically rethought the layout, most notably by concentrating circulation and technical functions within a single built volume at the heart of the plan, from which everything else radiates. Coated in high-gloss green paint, it is the project’s most decisive move. Practically, it organises movement between the two rear bedrooms and the living areas and master suite at the front, while accommodating a bathroom, lavatory and study nook. Visually, its reflective surface captures and redistributes natural light toward the apartment’s darker areas.

The high-gloss green finish forms part of a thoughtfully calibrated palette of contrasting materials and textures that defines the apartment’s character. Underpinning this tension is the juxtaposition between the carefully restored and extended original parquet flooring, which provides a sense of continuity, against the raw, exposed concrete walls that embrace imperfection as an aesthetic language.

The apartment’s glossy green core appears as a sculptural insertion within the open plan. Its reflective lacquered surface captures daylight, while a translucent curtain suspended from ceiling tracks softens the transition. A stainless steel stool and built-in shelving reinforce the project’s industrial-modernist sensibility. — Photography by Philippe Billard.

A detail of the green volume highlights its high-gloss finish, punctuated by subtle reflections of window light. Adjacent, a sheer textured curtain filters views toward exposed concrete walls, emphasising Atelier Apara’s contrast between chromatic boldness and raw material restraint.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

A narrow passage beside the green core reveals a perforated wooden screen with circular cut-outs, allowing glimpses of the kitchen beyond. The interplay of transparency and opacity, concrete and lacquer, exemplifies the apartment’s layered spatial choreography and measured material contrasts.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The living space unfolds around exposed concrete volumes and honey-toned parquet flooring, anchored by a glossy green built-in unit. Bauhaus-inflected furniture—chrome-framed seating and a glass coffee table—introduces industrial elegance, while potted monstera plants soften the mineral palette with biophilic accents. — Photography by Philippe Billard.

Warm okoumé wardrobe doors stand opposite the vivid green built-in unit, their natural grain softening the apartment’s industrial edges. The parquet floor extends seamlessly between zones, while metal shelving and discreet conduits underscore the project’s economy of means and structural clarity.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The glossy green built-in unit unfolds as a recessed shelving niche, its reflective lacquer amplifying depth. Slim metal conduits run vertically within the alcove, merging infrastructure with display. Books and minimal objects punctuate the vivid backdrop, reinforcing the apartment’s disciplined yet expressive industrial-modernist language.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The kitchen is composed as a precise industrial tableau: okoumé cabinetry, green-veined marble countertops and floating metal shelves set against exposed concrete. A perforated timber divider punctuated with green-lined openings introduces depth, while a glass dining table reflects the disciplined material palette. — Photography by Philippe Billard.

Okoumé plywood cabinetry and wall panelling, a material more commonly associated with boatbuilding than interior design, introduces handcrafted warmth in across the property, while green-veined marble used in the kitchen for countertops, backsplash and shelving adds a quietly luxuriant note. Mounted on slender threaded rods with visible bolts, the marble shelving, also found in the living room, further accentuates the dialogue between utility and elegance.

The same utilitarian sensibility runs throughout, from exposed metallic cable ducts tracing the walls and ceiling lines to powder-coated steel shelving brackets and toggle light switches set within metal faceplates. Lighting follows the same logic, with conical metal pendants and pared-back fixtures emphasising clarity over flourish, as does the furniture; Bauhaus-inflected pieces such as chrome-framed chairs, glass-topped tables and a Marcel Breuer Wassily lounge chair embrace a form-follows-function ethos, reinforcing the apartment’s restrained industrial cadence.

Close-up of the perforated okoumé partition highlights its rhythmic grid of circular openings, framing glimpses of the glossy green structure behind. The warm timber grain contrasts with the smooth lacquer and adjacent concrete wall, embodying Atelier Apara’s dialogue between handcrafted tactility and modernist precision.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

A wider view reveals the kitchen’s spatial choreography: parquet flooring extends beneath marble-topped islands and dark timber cabinetry, while the perforated screen stands like a sculptural divider. The saturated green built-in volume beyond anchors the scene, its lacquered surface catching light against the apartment’s restrained industrial envelope.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The kitchen composition foregrounds green-veined marble worktops against raw concrete walls, their mineral textures set in deliberate tension. Okoumé cabinetry with recessed pulls introduces warmth, while a perforated timber screen with circular cut-outs filters views toward the glossy green core, layering transparency, colour and material contrast.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

Looking through the green volume toward the living area, the apartment’s spatial layering becomes evident. Chrome-framed seating, a low modular sofa and potted plants sit beneath wide horizontal windows, while parquet floors and raw concrete walls sustain the project’s balance between industrial rigour and domestic warmth.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The bedroom unfolds as a compact alcove, elevated on a timber platform above a vivid blue floor. Exposed concrete ceiling and walls meet white curtains that diffuse daylight, while pared-back shelving and okoumé panels maintain the project’s disciplined material palette and emphasis on spatial economy.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The one room where the tonal discipline gives way to a more assertive expression is the main bathroom where the cool, almost clinical precision, of the stainless-steel cabinetry and washbasin is offset by vibrant blue mosaic tiling. Despite its chromatic intensity, this space nevertheless deftly adheres to the scheme’s calibrated balance between rawness and refinement.

Across the apartment, Atelier Apara demonstrate what has become a consistent thread in their work: the idea that restraint and economy of means need not produce neutral results. By leaning into the contrast between raw and refined, industrial and intimate, and economical and exquisite, they have created a considered and characterful home within tight constraints.

The main bathroom is enveloped in small-format blue mosaic tiles that wrap walls, vanity and bath surround in a continuous grid. Stainless steel basins and cabinetry introduce a cool, industrial precision, while mirrored surfaces expand the compact space and amplify its graphic intensity.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

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A Family Apartment in Paris by Atelier Apara is a Study in Calibrated Contrasts

In Paris’ 14th arrondissement, within a residential building dating from the 1970s–80s, Atelier Apara has reimagined a 93-square-metre family apartment with the calibrated restraint that defines the practice. Led by co-founders Charlotte Guillochon and Victor Mesguich, the studio approaches renovation as an act of revelation rather than embellishment, pairing structural...

Yatzer
March 30, 2026

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Messa House: Reframing Retail Through Geometric Abstraction and Cultural Memory in Kazakhstan

The interior unfolds as a calm, monochromatic mise-en-scène, underpinned by a sandy palette applied consistently across floors, walls, ceilings and furnishings to create a unified visual field. Shell limestone from the Mangystau region is used extensively, from cladding columns, to shaping counters, display tables and seating, bringing tactility and a...

Yatzer
March 30, 2026

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Avlakia House: A Calibrated Balance of Exposure and Concealment in Antiparos

Set between two natural gorges (avlákia in Greek), the house occupies a sloping site on Antiparos’s western edge, with expansive views across the Cycladic archipelago and direct exposure to the island’s northern winds. The design responds to these conditions through a carefully calibrated balance of exposure and concealment, making decisions...

Yatzer
March 30, 2026

For Rotterdam-based artist Maria Ikonomopoulou, making art is tantamount to thinking aloud, an intuitive yet inquisitive method of making sense of the world around her, particularly in how we share the spaces we inhabit. Underpinned by handicraft techniques and humble, everyday materials, her practice unfolds through long-term projects shaped by one ongoing concern: finding balance between the individual and the collective.

Suspended from the ceiling, dozens of delicate paper flowers cut from newspaper pages hang on vivid orange threads. The installation forms a vertical cascade, gently swaying and casting soft shadows. The interplay between printed fragments and bright string creates a rhythmic, almost architectural column of suspended text.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, The Column (detail), 2017. Cutout newspapers, Japanese acid free paper, cotton thread. 370 x 60 x 60 cm. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

A wall drawing unfolds as a repetitive field of looping, petal-like line motifs, within which a darker, denser silhouette emerges. The layered graphite lines suggest both floral ornament and written script, creating a vibrating surface where figure and ground blur. The restrained monochrome palette reinforces its meditative intensity.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Connections, 2007. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper 80 x 60 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Maria Ikonomopoulou sits cross-legged within a suspended field of hand-cut paper flowers, delicately attaching elements to orange threads. The airy installation, composed of floral forms cut from printed matter, creates a porous curtain around her body. The setting’s industrial interior contrasts with the fragility of the materials, foregrounding slowness, care, and the tactile labour behind the work. — The artist at work. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Drawing on folk art traditions, Ikonomopoulou brings together embroidery, drawing, photography, and intricate paper cutting in unexpected ways: newspapers become surfaces to be stitched or drawn upon, photographs, taken during long walks through Athens and Rotterdam, are transformed into fragile floral forms.

Slowness and repetition lie at the heart of her practice. Rather than producing singular, self-contained works, she develops her ideas through series that evolve over time, which are often revisited and reshaped over the course of years. Repetition or, more precisely, variation, becomes a way of staying with a question for long enough for layers to unfold, while the time-intensive, laborious nature of her techniques compels her usually fast-moving thinking to follow the pace of her hands, transforming constraint into a form of focus and freedom.

Her current solo exhibition “All Included” at CITRONNE Gallery in Athens (January 15 – February 28, 2026) brings together works from different periods of her career, not as a retrospective, but rather as a way of tracing continuity across changing contexts. Yatzer recently caught up with the artist to talk about her show, her fascination with floral patterns, and her ongoing search for balance in a world that feels increasingly unsettled.

Answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.

An urban balcony overgrown with ivy is overlaid with intricate paper cut-outs forming a repeating floral pattern. The layered imagery merges architecture, vegetation, and hand-cut ornament into a dense visual tapestry. Light and shadow animate the delicate paper tracery, creating depth within the photographic surface. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Growing Care Athens 3*, 2010-2025. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper. 60 x 45 cm. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

A wall densely covered with repeating botanical cut-outs frames glimpses of potted plants and architectural details. The monochrome paper pattern envelops the space, turning everyday greenery into part of a continuous ornamental field. The installation reads as a quiet intervention, weaving cultivation and community into the urban fabric. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Growing Care Athens 9*, 2010-2025. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper. 60 x 45 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

A grid of twelve drawings presents stylised amphora forms that double as self-portraits. Executed in pen with dense, repetitive line work, the figures merge vessel and body. Earthy browns, graphite greys, and vivid blues animate the series, while subtle variations in patterning underscore Ikonomopoulou’s exploration of identity through repetition and formal constraint. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Self-portrait as an Amphora*, 2025. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

What initially compelled you to become an artist? What are the questions and concerns that have remained constant since those early beginnings?

I remember certain art pieces on the walls of my parents’ home that I really liked a lot as an adolescent and wanting to make something similar myself. My father used to visit art galleries, and I liked accompanying him. But I also remember all the women close to me, my mother, my grandmothers, my older sister, working with textiles at home, and this influenced me profoundly.

My innate curiosity, and the many questions I have about almost everything, led me to the creative process, and I began making things with great enthusiasm. I started with ceramics in Athens; it took me a while to find my way into art education in the Netherlands, but it was an important decision. Leaving Greece, a country based on collectivity, and choosing the Netherlands, a country based on individuality, defined my ideas. Even today, looking for a balance between these two models continues to be the core concept underlying all of my work.

Your practice encompasses a wide range of methods and materials, often brought together within the same body of work. Is this multiplicity driven primarily by the conceptual demands of each project or by a genuine pleasure in material variety?

When I choose the materials that I want to work with, it comes down to how they reference the concept I’m working on. Materials such as newspapers or beeswax already carry their own story which often defines my choice. I also greatly enjoy combining different materials within a single piece, as you can see for example in the Études series, where I felt free to experiment with everything I have in the studio.

With that said, although most of my works consist of multiple layers, in my latest series Blue Water the drawings needed nothing more than lines.

Handicraft techniques such as embroidery and paper cutting are an integral part of your practice. What initially drew you to these time-intensive, hand-made processes? Beyond the exquisite intricacy they produce, do you experience a meditative, or even transformative, dimension in their slowness and repetition?

I still vividly remember craft lessons in primary school; they felt magical to me, much like the weaving, embroidery, and knitting I grew up watching women practice around me. That early experience shaped my lasting fascination with craftspeople and folk. Using related materials and techniques feels like a tribute to the many anonymous makers around the world.

Another reason I choose to work with these methods and materials is partly because of their availability. They are inexpensive, easy to find, and simple to handle, which gives me a great sense of freedom. As someone who works between two countries, my methodology allows me to keep working during those “in-between” moments, even when I’m travelling, when I’m waiting to board a flight for example.

Working with my hands also gives me another, more profound sense of freedom. The slowness of such time-intensive techniques reigns in the frenzied pace of my thoughts. Finding a balance between the mind and body is very liberating.

A full newspaper page is overlaid with a meticulous red embroidery pattern, forming a geometric lace-like grid. The stitched floral motifs soften the dense printed text beneath, partially obscuring headlines while introducing tactility and colour. The intervention transforms daily news into a crafted surface of care. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Male - Female Beauty*, 2025. Newspapers, Japanese acid free paper, embroidery thread. 60 x 40 cm. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Two framed works hang beside a vertical braid of natural fibres mounted on canvas. The juxtaposition of paper-based compositions and woven material introduces a tactile dialogue between fragility and density. The pared-back installation foregrounds texture, inviting close attention to fibre, stitch, and surface. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Dark, organic silhouettes branch across newspaper pages, punctuated by small red circular elements resembling seals or warning markers. The bold, almost shadow-like forms interrupt the printed text beneath, creating tension between graphic clarity and informational overload. The composition balances opacity and translucence with measured restraint. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Repair on News 1*, 2018. Newspapers, Japanese acid-free paper, cutout prints, wax, embroidery thread, acid free cardboard. 70 x 50 cm. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Newspapers have been a recurring material in your work, used as surfaces to be embroidered or drawn upon, and as a raw material for intricate cut-out installations. What lies at the root of this long-standing engagement with newspapers, and what do they allow you to articulate that other materials perhaps cannot?

Newspapers are “food for thought” materials. For many of us, reading the newspaper is a daily ritual, and often provides a starting point for vivid discussions with others. As an integral part of our free press, they are also a measure of a well-functioning democracy.

At the same time, absorbing daily news through newspapers can be overwhelming. Transforming them into art is my way of coping with this constant exposure. The newspapers themselves carry the weight of global crises and turmoil; by drawing or embroidering onto them, I introduce symbols of culture, care, and continuity, offering a quiet counterpoint to the relentless flow of catastrophic events.

A constellation of framed works made on newspaper hangs in a loose grid, each piece combining embroidery, drawing, and cut paper. Threads trace geometric motifs and coded marks across yellowed pages, transforming printed columns into textured surfaces. The white frames and generous spacing allow the intricate details to resonate within the calm gallery setting. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

From cut-out motifs and embroidered patterns to photographs and living plants, flowers have played a consistent role in your practice. What is it about them that continues to draw you back to them?

During the long-term side project Growing Care, I began observing and photographing small pockets of greenery in urban environments that residents looked after themselves. But my interest is not really about flowers; it’s about how we share public spaces with one another. Pots with plants versus cars and motorbikes clearly illustrate the “fight” taking place out there.

In another series, flower patterns were used as archetypal shapes, doodles that people often draw while doing something else, usually while talking on the phone. Over time, through working with them, I learned to appreciate their organic way of growing, their beauty, but also their unpredictability, which reflects the uncertainty of real life. The time, attention, and knowledge required to help a plant grow really fascinates me. There is something in them that we seem to desperately need as humans, beyond the fruits they give us.

I feel I still have a lot to learn. In one of my latest works, Male Female Beauty, I translated a common iron-door pattern into embroidery on newspaper, and realised how close male ironwork and female embroidery really are as they both rely heavily on floral patterns.

A framed photographic work overlays a quiet urban vignette—a potted plant and plastic watering can—with a delicate lattice of hand-cut floral motifs. The translucent paper screen softens the image beneath, creating a layered interplay between domestic care and ornamental pattern. The palette remains muted, allowing greenery to gently punctuate the surface. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Growing Care Athens 3*, 2010-2025. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper. 60 x 45 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Houseplants in terracotta and white pots sit before a window, their leaves intersecting with a superimposed cut-paper pattern. The red blossoms punctuate the muted palette, while the repeated motif unifies foreground and background. The layering suggests care as both domestic gesture and civic act. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Growing Care Athens 6*, 2010-2025. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper. 60 x 45 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

A framed photograph of a balcony garden is partially veiled by a translucent sheet intricately cut into floral motifs. The repetitive pattern softens the image beneath, filtering the greens and terracotta tones through a lace-like screen. The work blurs boundaries between interior and exterior, growth and structure.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Growing Care Athens 1, 2010-2025. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper. 60 x 45 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

An intricate net-like embroidery stretches across newspaper pages, its diamond grid stitched in multicoloured threads—ochre, violet, charcoal, and moss. The hand-sewn structure oscillates between containment and rupture, with areas left loose or unravelled. The fragile textile overlay contrasts with the dense financial data faintly visible beneath.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Net Icaro, 2025. Cutout prints, pins, pencil, acid-free cardboard. 40 x 30 cm. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

In moving between Athens and Rotterdam, you have developed an extensive photographic record of two very different urban environments. How has this shaped your understanding of the city as a shared, lived space and how does it feed into your wider artistic practice?

I love walking in cities. Observing what people do in public spaces fascinates me. The way a street vendor arranges their goods, or how individuals invent their own solutions for everyday life on the street, is an endless source of inspiration, especially in Greece, where the climate allows people to spend so much time outdoors.

Architecture inspires me as well, but it’s the social dimension that interests me the most. Streets, schools, hospitals: these are all spaces that we have to share, even at a time when many of us tend to think that the world revolves around “me.” Sharing public space with strangers is a challenge, and I am very curious to see how we find balance within it. You could say that this question forms the underlying thread that runs through all of my work.

A faded newspaper page becomes a stage for blue and pink stitches forming vertical bands and swirling motifs. Above, a stitched photograph of a city street introduces depth, while ornamental loops in rust and turquoise thread overlay the text, tempering reportage with contemplative pattern. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Etude 32*, 2025. Newspapers, Japanese acid free paper, color pencil, embroidery thread, plexiglass frame. 40 × 30 cm. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Centered on a wall covered in rhythmic, hand-drawn floral lines, a framed photograph of a figure partially veiled in cut paper commands attention. The pale tones of the image contrast with the violet-blue wall drawing, which extends like wallpaper yet retains the immediacy of handwriting. The interplay of surface and image underscores the exhibition’s layered narratives. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

A close-up of the circular wreath reveals hundreds of individually cut paper flowers, each bearing fragments of printed text and faint washes of colour. Tiny orange thread details punctuate the petals, binding the composition together. The work balances fragility and accumulation, transforming ephemeral newsprint into a dense, tactile relief. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Zero – Britannic*, 2025. Cut out newspaper, acid free Japanese paper, embroidery thread, nails, acid-free cardboard. 40 x 40 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Three framed works are arranged in a measured composition, the central piece forming a floral wreath-like “O” constructed from meticulously cut and layered newspaper petals. Subtle blues, greys, and newsprint text create a soft chromatic field, while the surrounding blank panels heighten the sculptural density of the circular form. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Black ceramic fragments are arranged in a loose circular constellation, each inscribed with gold lettering that collectively spells a phrase about civilisation and art. The broken edges expose raw terracotta beneath the glaze, turning rupture into composition and language into archaeological trace. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Civilisation (black)*, 2023. Ceramic shards, engraving. 50 x 50 x 3 cm. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Your work consistently navigates the space between the individual and the collective. How has this shaped your practice, and how has your relationship to it shifted through different phases of your work?

In my personal life, I experience a constant struggle between my desire to be connected with others and my need to be alone. This tension, and trying to understand the causes behind it, have enabled me to create a large number of autobiographical based works.

Over time, as I found a sense of balance growing older, my perspective widened. My interests gradually moved from the personal to public space, and towards the question of how we can find balance as citizens of a city. Later on, the economic crisis in Greece expanded these concerns to a national scale, pushing me to think about balance in times of instability.

Today, the world seems to exist in a state of permanent crisis, and this turbulence dominates my thoughts. From the personal ‘you’ and ‘me’, to the city, to the country, and now to the global level, the central question in my work continues to focus on how to find balance.

A quilted, pale blue garment hangs beside a single suspended shoe, forming a sparse vertical installation. The soft textile surface, stitched with small orange accents, contrasts with the solidity of leather. Against the white wall, the pairing reads as a quiet meditation on presence and absence.

Installation view, All Included at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Two pairs of leather shoes hang suspended, their insoles and soles inscribed with handwritten text. The warm tan leather contrasts with the darkened undersides, marked by wear. Elevated to eye level, the everyday object becomes a vessel of thought, doubt, and embodied experience.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Doubting Shoes, 1998. Goat skin, pig skin, etched text. 28 x 19 x 7 cm. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Five compact bundles of tightly braided newspaper strips are mounted directly onto a white gallery wall, each knotted and fanned out like suspended tassels. Their muted greys and faded inks contrast with the pristine setting, while elongated shadows animate the surface. The modest gestures suggest accumulated thought condensed into tactile, knotted forms. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Daily Wisdoms*, 2023-2025. Newspapers twisted to cord, nails, wall mounted. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

You frequently incorporate words or phrases into your work. What does working with text allow you to articulate that images or forms alone might not?

My work begins with a thought. When I begin with questions about things I don’t fully understand, I look at the language which brings with it meaning, history, and etymology. Using handwritten text and transforming it into drawing felt like a natural step. Even when no text exists, my drawings are more written than drawn. I always begin from a corner of the paper and work mainly with lines; it’s all a form of writing. Writing and drawing are interlinked, they’re both closely connected to the process of thinking.

Several of your public projects rely on collaboration and participation, while others are developed in solitude. How do collective and solitary modes of working inform or challenge one another in your practice?

I love both modes of working; I also need both. I need communication and the exchange of ideas with others about the things that occupy me, and that exchange often takes place with the most ordinary of people: schoolchildren, neighbours, taxi drivers. Working on collaborative projects and creating something that brings together individual contributions into a larger whole, is essential to my practice and is something I return to often.

Studio work, with its solitude and intense concentration, offers the opposite: a space where ideas can deepen and take shape. For me, these two modes of working are truly complementary.

A vertically mounted braid of tightly twisted newspaper strips is affixed to a narrow white panel, its fibres splaying at both ends. The muted greys of printed text form a rope-like structure, punctuated by subtle knots. Suspended against the pristine wall, the work evokes fragility and endurance, binding ephemeral information into tactile, sculptural form. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Complexity*, 2024. Newspapers twisted to cord, varnish with UV protection, canvas. 150 x 40 x 15 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Three hanging, net-like sculptures fashioned from braided newspaper strips encase spherical forms embroidered with dense, radial patterns in violet and blue thread. Suspended at varying heights, the works resemble protective talismans or seed pods. Their tactile surfaces and meticulous stitching foreground the artist’s fusion of fragility, craft, and conceptual inquiry. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *OMG 1,2,3*, 2024. World globe, leukopor tape, permanent marker, newspapers, archival varnish with UV protection. 40 x 13 x 13 cm. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

A wider installation view reveals the domestic character of the 1960s apartment setting: parquet floors, wooden chairs, and a small round table coexist with walls of works on paper. In the adjacent room, a large-scale drawing envelops the wall behind a framed portrait. The exhibition unfolds as an intimate dialogue between art and architecture. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

In your current exhibition All Included at CITRONNE Gallery, you’re showcasing works from different periods of your career. What informed this curatorial approach, and how did you navigate the process of selecting works that speak both to your personal trajectory and to broader social concerns?

While preparing for a solo exhibition in 2019, I made the decision to no longer only show my latest works. This approach grew directly out of my studio practice where works from different periods coexist and continue to inspire new pieces. Referencing earlier works helps reveal the continuity and organic development of the thinking behind my practice.

By selecting and combining works from different periods, I continue to learn how to read my practice more deeply and to listen to what it still has to tell me. It isn’t about recycling materials or ideas, but more about a process of redefinition that takes place in different settings and encourages dialogue between all “my children.” This is a permanent studio process that I wanted to share with the visitors that will see the exhibition up close.

Because my background is closely tied to working in and for public spaces, I also allow the exhibition setting itself to guide these decisions. In the case of my current exhibition, the 1960s apartment where CITRONNE Gallery is housed became an active part of that dialogue, offering a context that felt especially attuned to the work and its layered conversations.

A curtain-like installation of hundreds of small, paper-cut floral forms descends from ceiling to floor in vertical strands. Suspended slightly away from the wall, the piece creates a porous veil that shifts with light and movement. Its pale tones generate a soft, immersive field within the gallery’s domestic-scale architecture. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

A spherical lamp is enveloped in collaged newspaper flowers and dark painterly marks, glowing softly from within. Mounted on a simple metal stand, the illuminated globe resembles a fragile planet, its surface layered with text and shadow. The warm light underscores the tension between illumination and obscured information.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Para-Planet, 2019. World globe lamp, Japanese acid free paper, cutout newspapers, wax, charcoal, copper tape. 40 x 30 x 30 cm. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

A framed newspaper page is covered with painted blue and green floral motifs that cascade diagonally across the surface. The flowers obscure headlines while allowing fragments of text to remain visible. The composition feels immersive yet restrained, as pigment and print coexist within the white border.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Wall Newspapers 14/7/10, 2013. Pencil, color pencil, newspaper charcoal. 70 x 50 cm. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

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Variations on a Theme: Maria Ikonomopoulous Ongoing Search for Balance Between the Individual and the Collective

For Rotterdam-based artist Maria Ikonomopoulou, making art is tantamount to thinking aloud, an intuitive yet inquisitive method of making sense of the world around her, particularly in how we share the spaces we inhabit. Underpinned by handicraft techniques and humble, everyday materials, her practice unfolds through long-term projects shaped by...

Yatzer
March 30, 2026

It’s not every day that you come across a private apartment tracing its lineage back to a techno nightclub. Yet the starting point for this Berlin apartment by Studio Karhard lies not in domestic precedent but in the underground world of Berghain. Two decades after shaping the interiors of the techno institution, the architects were approached by an American couple drawn to its subversive, starkly minimal, and unapologetically dark ambience. The challenge was not to domesticate the nightclub aesthetic, but to translate its energy into a design-forward space that could also feel genuinely lived in. With this in mind, Studio Karhard organised the apartment into lighter and darker scenes, united by a fluid design language of sinuous forms and a tactile palette of contrasting materials. The result is a carefully calibrated exercise in sumptuous minimalism that defies expectation, artfully fusing techno-futuristic cues with the sensual restraint of 1960s Milanese interiors.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

A wider view situates the living room within its full spatial context, where glass bricks wrap the perimeter to form a continuous, translucent enclosure. The crimson sofa, patterned Utrecht lounge chair by Cassina, and sculptural glass coffee tables create a layered, tactile interior that balances retro references with contemporary material precision. — Photography by Robert Rieger.

Located in Kreuzberg, the apartment underwent a radical reconfiguration. What had previously been a conventional two-room layout was stripped back and rebuilt as a sequence of carefully calibrated zones, each defined by shifts in light, material, and mood. At the heart of the scheme, a curved glass-brick wall arcs gently through the plan. More than a partition, it operates as a luminous diaphragm, separating the apartment’s social areas both from the entrance and private realms while allowing light to travel freely between them.

The living room and adjoining kitchen-dining area unfold on the one side of this translucent curve where cream-hued plaster walls and terrazzo flooring establish a warm, tactile counterpoint, while stainless-steel surfaces echo the cool, reflective register of the glass-brickwork. Bathed in daylight, the living area is anchored by a built-in sofa set on a sinuous stainless-steel plinth that traces the curvature of the glass-brick wall. Upholstered in crimson-red Kvadrat fabric, the sofa animates the otherwise restrained palette, introducing a note of sleek theatricality reminiscent of 1960s Milanese interiors along with a pair of Soda blown-glass coffee tables by Yiannis Ghikas for Miniforms, a camouflage-patterned Utrecht lounge chair by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for Cassina, and a round carpet by Ferreira de Sá, all rendered in deep green tones.

The living area unfolds around a sweeping glass-brick backdrop, its gently curved surface diffusing daylight across the room. A deep red, built-in sofa traces the arc of the wall, set atop a stainless-steel plinth, while a circular green carpet and low glass tables anchor the seating arrangement in a midcentury-inflected composition. — Photography by Robert Rieger.

A close-up captures the junction between the curved sofa and the glass-brick wall, highlighting the precision of the stainless-steel base and the plush texture of the upholstery. A slim vertical lighting pole punctuates the composition, introducing an architectural line that echoes the vertical rhythm embedded in the glass bricks.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

The seating area is framed by a dark opening that leads back into the apartment’s shadowed zones, heightening the contrast with the softly illuminated living space. Green-tinted glass tables, a plush carpet, and patterned upholstery animate the foreground, while the curved glass-brick wall reinforces a sense of enclosure and continuity.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

The dining area unfolds beside the curved glass-brick wall, where daylight filters gently into the space. A round dark table and leather-upholstered chairs sit on terrazzo flooring, while stainless-steel cabinetry and a bench-lined window balance industrial clarity with domestic comfort, reinforcing Studio Karhard’s careful calibration of light and material. — Photography by Robert Rieger.

The dining and kitchen area extends this dialogue between nostalgia and futurism, bringing together floor-to-ceiling stainless-steel cabinetry punctuated by untreated brass alcoves and a curvaceous stainless-steel island. Brown leather dining chairs and a dark wood table temper the kitchen’s industrial precision with warmth and tactility. Suspended above, a futuristic chandelier by Sabine Marcelis casts a soft, ambient glow that subtly mirrors the golden hues of the brass niches.

Brass-lined cabinetry niches glow softly within the stainless-steel kitchen wall, creating a luminous pause amid the otherwise cool material palette. Carefully framed shelves hold everyday objects like glassware and a coffee maker, elevating utilitarian storage into a composed, almost scenographic element within the domestic landscape.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

A sculptural pendant by Sabine Marcelis hovers above the dining table, its warm amber glow animating the room’s otherwise restrained palette. Suspended against cream plaster walls, the light’s geometric form introduces a subtle futurism, echoing the apartment’s dialogue between softness and precision while casting a calm, atmospheric halo over the dining setting.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

Crossing the glass-brick threshold, the mood shifts decisively. The entrance and adjoining powder room, study, and bedroom are deliberately darkened, their black-painted surfaces, dark terrazzo flooring and controlled lighting recalling the introspective corners of a nightclub at its most intimate. The powder room, in particular, boldly embraces this sensation: enveloped in stainless-steel surfaces and featuring a metal grid ceiling, the softly illuminated space feels closer to a nightspot interlude than a domestic setting.

In contrast, the en-suite bathroom is defined by openness and light. Mint-green cabinetry and surfaces establish a calm, almost clinical clarity, while daylight diffused through the glass-brick wall softens the room’s edges. At its centre, a monolithic washbasin carved from richly veined green marble is paired with a gleaming black bathtub set against a mirrored wall, their sculptural forms introducing a futuristic yet deeply elemental presence.

A detail of the bedroom reveals the tension between matte black surfaces and the textured transparency of the glass-brick wall. A cylindrical wall-mounted light introduces a subtle glow, its industrial character reinforcing the space’s nocturnal atmosphere while offering a restrained counterpoint to the tactile, rhythmic pattern of the bricks.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

Viewed from the bedroom, a curved glass-brick wall acts as a luminous threshold between darkness and light. The blackened, cocooning sleeping area opens onto a brighter sequence beyond, where terrazzo flooring and diffused daylight soften the transition. The composition foregrounds Studio Karhard’s spatial choreography, using translucency and curvature to guide movement and mood.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

$A freestanding black bathtub sits before a mirrored wall and an expanse of glass bricks, its glossy surface reflecting both light and shadow. Daylight refracts through the textured glass, animating the room with subtle movement, while the tub’s sculptural form introduces a dramatic focal point within the otherwise restrained, luminous setting.$

Photography by Robert Rieger.

The en-suite bathroom is anchored by a monolithic green marble washbasin set against pale mint cabinetry and terrazzo flooring. An oval backlit mirror introduces a soft, graphic glow, while glass-brick walls diffuse daylight throughout the space. The composition balances sculptural weight with visual lightness, creating a calm yet highly tactile atmosphere.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

Taken as a whole, the apartment reveals itself as a carefully balanced exercise in contrast. Light and dark, softness and hardness, futurism and nostalgia are brought into deliberate alignment, allowing markedly different atmospheres to coexist without friction. In doing so, Studio Karhard has shaped a home that carries the memory of Berlin’s most iconic club not as pastiche, but as atmosphere in a space attuned to rhythm, transition, and the quiet drama of moving from one state to another.

A dark, built-in wall unit in matte black sets a hushed, utilitarian tone, its recessed shelves displaying sculptural objects and a minimalist lamp. The inky surfaces absorb light, heightening contrast with the speckled terrazzo floor, while a pair of aluminium suitcases leans casually nearby—an understated nod to movement, impermanence, and Berlin’s transient, club-inflected domestic culture.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

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Berghain, Reimagined: Studio Karhard Blends Techno-Futurism and Milanese Elagance in a Berlin Apartment

It’s not every day that you come across a private apartment tracing its lineage back to a techno nightclub. Yet the starting point for this Berlin apartment by Studio Karhard lies not in domestic precedent but in the underground world of Berghain. Two decades after shaping the interiors of the...

Yatzer
March 30, 2026

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Oli’s Italiano: Alan Prekop Reimagines a Bratislava Restaurant as a Mediterranean Streetscape

At the heart of the project is a simple inversion of spatial logic. Rather than treating the interior as a sealed environment, the architects set out to “turn it inside out.” To support this shift, the space was stripped back to its essential structure. Layers accumulated through previous uses were...