Alchemio Bar-restaurant, Athens, Greece
Location:
Athens, Greece
Year:
2019
Type:
Interior design
Status:
Built
Awards:
Gold Prize at Interior Awards 2020
Size:
150 sqm
Photographer:
Giorgos Sfakianakis
Located in the centre of Athens, opposite the General State Chemical Laboratory of Greece, “ALchemio” is a contemporary all-day bar-restaurant.
The interior spaces reflect the site context as well as the philosophy of the bar’s mixology and kitchen’s gastronomy. The design is a combination of edgy romanticism and 50’s luxury.
It makes strong references to both alchemy as a practice shrouded with mystery and chemistry as the science of physical matter and human interaction.
The bar-restaurant is decorated with petrol-colored tiles, a color commonly associated with the organic compound of alcohol (-OH) as well as elements made of copper (Cu), a material with many physical and chemical characteristics such as good heating conductivity and catalytic effects, speeding up the process when mixed with other compounds.
The walls feature portraits of renowned chemistry scientists such as those of Marie Curie, Nobel, Pasteur and Dalton, which are weaved together with a neon light cord. The Alchemists, on the other hand, attempted to create the elixir of immortality and transform common materials into gold.
This atmosphere of mystery and magic is incorporated into the architecture through the lighting design and the special architectural details that the visitors are encouraged to discover.