KAN Atelier restores 1950s apartment in Patissia with circular layout

In the Patissia neighborhood of Athens, architecture studio KAN Atelier has renovated a full-floor apartment in a postwar residential building dating from the late 1950s. The project focused on updating the apartment for contemporary living while preserving the atmosphere and material character of its original era. Rather than radically altering the space, the architects approached the renovation as a process of subtle renewal. The apartment’s layout is defined by a circular movement created by its two entrances, with the kitchen placed at the centre of the plan as a point of connection between the living areas and the bedrooms. This circulation subtly divides the home into three zones, expressed through slight shifts along the northern and southern façades. Many of the apartment’s original elements were retained and restored, including terrazzo flooring, timber floors and built-in joinery, bringing continuity and familiarity to the interior. New additions were introduced with restraint. Natural materials such as stone, marble, wood and glass appear in partitions, surfaces and custom furniture, creating a quiet dialogue between the apartment’s existing fabric and the contemporary interventions. Today, daily life unfolds around the open kitchen at the center of the home, where cooking and conversation naturally meet. The circular layout allows residents to move fluidly through the living areas and out to the main balcony, which becomes a focal point in the evenings when the interior opens towards the city. Throughout the apartment, integrated storage and discreet functional details support everyday life. Rather than relying on dramatic gestures, the renovation is defined by thoughtful design choices that shape the rhythm of living over time.