The new Baklatsidis showroom is located in a building designed by Dimitris Fatouros and Vassilis Giannakis in 1973 in Thermi as a Textile Factory. The building is a composition of two distanced rectangular volumes, which are connected by a covered corridor. A particular element of the original design was the preservation of all structural elements (masonry, concrete) as bare.

The installation of the offices and then the exhibition space of the company in the specific building is a design challenge for two reasons: a. To highlight the special architectural design of the building but also b. The installation of a professional space that will meet the highest specifications and requirements set by modern standards for the design of modern workplaces.

The space is a long narrow space, which is functionally divided into three zones and crosses a longitudinal corridor. At the front of the space, 22 workplaces and a small sitting area are organized in open plan. Two closed work/meeting offices have been designed in the central zone. The glass dividers that have been used offer acoustic isolation without interrupting the visual continuity of the space. The third zone houses the auxiliary spaces (kitchen and WC).

The structural elements are kept visible and special black metal structures of linear rods carrying the lamps were suspended on the ceiling, the geometry of which reinforces the rectangular space. The intense industrial feeling created by these materials is softened by the oak surfaces and the shades of marble that have been used to make the furniture. The color palette of the space is complemented by the characteristic blue of the company’s corporate identity, which has been used on fabrics and furniture surfaces.

A special issue given the size, height and materiality of the space was its acoustic study. In order to ensure acoustic comfort in all areas, sound-absorbing materials such as woven vinyl flooring, suspended sound-absorbing panels and sound-absorbing wallpaper were selected.

Partners in Charge
Tasos Georgantzis, Maria Tsaftari

Lead Architects
Vivi Malea, Aliki Varlamidi

Design Team
Lemonia Tsimopoulou, Nafsika Mitropoulou, Stella Avgerinou, Petros Katsiotis

Woodwork
Giannis Zotas

Construction
Georgios Gkaras