AN ATHENIAN STORY
What’s in a name? Athena. Goddess of wisdom and craft, patron of the city that carries her name.
Athinas Street was laid out by architects Kleanthis and Schaubert in the 19th century and named after the Temple to the goddess, on the Acropolis.
ATHENA Pallas is situated among the neoclassical treasure buildings of Kotzia Square and the City’s Town Hall, designed by Ernest Ziller and Panagiotis Kalkos respectively.
Its new phase as a boutique hotel of 56 rooms & suites is full of Athenian charm and mid century elegance. Its atmosphere is seductive yet quiet, its design pays tribute to classical details and 20th century aesthetic.
A historic façade was reintroduced to the building and interiors were completely remade to present an opulent contemporary urban retreat that offers a warm sense and quality.
ART
A private collection gives ATHENA Pallas a distinctly personal character, bringing Greek and international artists into conversation with the hotel’s classical references and contemporary interiors.
The mythological vision of river spirits of Bengt Lindström meets the vivid colour of Mary Heilmann’s Neil Young and the intricate, hand-crocheted surfaces of Joana Vasconcelos’s Montmartre. Different materials and artistic languages lend the collection its individuality, inviting a closer look at colour, texture and form.
The dialogue continues through objects that sit between art and design. Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti’s Masque lamp turns lighting into a sculptural presence, its gilded and patinated bronze taking the form of an expressive face. Together, these works contribute to the evocative atmosphere of ATHENA Pallas, where art is part of the intimacy of the stay.
DESIGN
Drawing inspiration from prewar Athenian homes, the interiors bring together classical references, twentieth-century design and a French sensibility. Restored antiques sit alongside bespoke furnishings, lending the spaces the warmth and personality of a house assembled over time.
Custom-made headboards and velvet beds, oak crafted by hand and marble from the quarries of Dionysos – the very same quarry the Acropolis was mastered from – give the rooms a rich, tactile character. The attention lies as much in the materials as in the making: the detail of the joinery, the finish of a piece of furniture, the meeting of wood, fabric and stone. Across the rooms, suites and generous apartments, this residential spirit takes on different expressions, each with its own character.
