This two-storey house in the northern suburbs does not simply meet the living needs of a family of four; it also hosts works of art and “converses” with them. The lighting was designed to serve this dual role. Whether functional or decorative, it highlights the clean, contemporary lines of the architectural composition, traces routes through the house, reveals the textures of the materials, and creates “illusions” through reflections and shifting intensities.
In the outdoor areas, the luminaires blend in with the natural elements. The light source is placed at ground level so that it never comes between the viewer and the artwork or planting.
The aim is to showcase the landscape design, with the lighting varying according to the height and density of the planting. Each artwork in the owners’ collection was treated as a separate part of the lighting design. Intensity and direction work together to decode the form of each sculpture and to cast its shadows onto the surrounding space. In this way, the artistic intervention is not confined to the area of the exhibit but extends across the whole space.
Particular emphasis is placed on the entrance, where recesses house works of art in some places and beams of light in others.
Inside, the staircase is the reference point around which the layout of the building’s programme is organised. The lighting here is at times decorative (for example, pendant luminaires); at other times it turns plain surfaces into gallery space for artworks (for example, with suitable projectors, filters, shutters and so on); and at others it discreetly retains its functional character (the lighting needed for circulation).
In the living room, perimeter lighting makes the ceiling appear to be a light element suspended between solid walls and the transparency of the openings. The greatest lighting intensity is concentrated on the sides where the windows are.
This simulates natural light in terms of the direction it comes from, while at the same time strengthening the dialogue between the inside and the outside of the house.
Spaces such as the gym have been given a pop, “playful” treatment that suits how the space is used.
Lighting design: IFI (www.ifigroup.gr)
Text: Christina Moudara – MA Architectural Studies
Photographs: Giannis Kontos – Photojournalist
Source: www.design-district.gr
