In a collaborative design project with architecture students from the University of Thessaly, The Campana Brothers have given the New Hotel in Athens a striking interior with quirky bespoke furniture and handmade fixtures throughout.
Brazilian brothers Humberto and Fernando Campana led the design of the New Hotel, a renovation of the former Olympic Palace Hotel in Plaka that is part of the Yes! Hotels group.
Under the initiative of the hotel’s owner and renowned collector Dakis Ioannou, the brothers held workshops in which furniture, samples and prototypes were designed. All of these were associated with the Campana style: reusing and reinterpreting local material and culture.
The result is a hotel with a distinctive Campana identity but inspired by Greek culture.
The 79-room hotel is located on Filellion Street, next to Constitution Square (Syntagma Square) and is within walking distance of the main sights: the Roman ruins of Plaka and the Acropolis and its new museum.
On the ground floor of the hotel is the New Taste restaurant, inspired by the Campana’s iconic Favela chair. Columns are covered in long, narrow strips of wood, reminiscent of the favelas in Brazil.
For the guest rooms, the brothers worked with three clearly identified themes, which stay true to the Athenian culture. The first room type pays homage to the fictional characters from Greek folklore called Karagiozis. The second room type embraces the ‘evil eye’, a superstitious bead that guards against bad omens and the third displays historic post cards, giving visitors an insight into old Athens.
The brothers carefully blend the old with the new, creating contrast between the use of historical Athenian elements and contemporary touches throughout the hotel. Sleek jagged mirrors and bespoke modern furniture borne from the use of recycled materials made with the help of local art students feature throughout the hotel.