A new apartment was designed in Palaio Faliro for a young family of three. The living pattern of the users allowed the questioning of some of the typical spatial conventions.  Spaces should accommodate remote work, a degree of individuality and unique interests for each resident as well as coexistence in the context of family life. The discussion around the only non-assigned room of the original plan illuminated aspects like transformation and versatility.

A long steel frame structure is placed at the heart of the living area. The existence of this freestanding object creates multiple subspaces. The main entrance and the transition to the bedrooms become more clearly defined, while the sitting and the dining areas are merged into a linear arrangement. Within the living area a new place of free expression coexists. With transformation of the central structure this area can turn into a separate room.

The living room permeates into the kitchen through the use of the same floor material. Thus a new office cove is created within the kitchen, further underlining the notion of coexistence.

The balcony next to the bedrooms is treated like a backyard. A linear bench is built in the center, articulating around it the outdoor activities of the family. This second use of the freestanding object serves as an echo of the interior structure.

The recurrent dipole “separation/unification” is the main concept on the subject of coexistence and the freestanding structures are the design vehicle that materializes this principle.