The Design Diaries
- K-Studio

Date 29 April 2020

Looking at projects by K-Studio, one can’t help but be amazed by the energy of the light-filled spaces they design. Founded by Dimitris and Konstantinos Karampatakis, the studio creates this kinetic vigour by celebrating the history of the spaces, the architectural traditions of the location, and with a profound understanding of how light plays out in rooms. After completing their studies at the Bartlett, UCL in London and having spent a year working for Will Alsop, Dimitris and Konstantinos Karampatakis returned to Athens and set up K-Studio. The award-winning duo have developed a reputation for their fresh, dynamic approach to architectural interventions.

“We wanted to reveal and control the drama and thrill of Vora’s site whilst securing guests with comfort, privacy, and a relaxed lifestyle. Guests experience a series of carefully choreographed contrasts.”

Design Stats

K-Studio was shortlisted for the 2012 Young Greek Architects Award and part of the Greek Pavilion Exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale, 2014.

Notable Projects & Products

Perianth Hotel was awarded Best Suite of the Year at the Greek Hotel of the Year Awards, 2020, Dexamenes won Best Suite in the AHEAD Europe Awards, 2019 as well as Best New Architecture In An Existing Building at the DOMES 10Yr Awards, 2019, and Vora took Best Resort in the AHEAD Europe Awards, 2018.

What you didn’t know

They’re designing the new Mykonos Airport, slated to finish in 2021.

Watch

 The new Mykonos Airport

Design Hotel Members

 Vora, Dexamenes Seaside Hotel, and Perianth Hotel.

Who or what are your biggest influences?

Will Alsop, my father, traveling experiences, and meeting new creatives through networks such as Design Hotels.

Have you ever changed your mind about anything aesthetics-wise?

Constantly!

Describe your dream project, real or fantasy.

To design my own family house.

What’s the last thing you read that made you feel something?

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.

What are you currently working on?

The office is currently working projects of various scales and locations, such as a villa-only resort in Panama and the Kaplankaya Marina in Turkey as well as several large-scale projects within the Greek leisure sector. These include the new Mykonos Airport, the Elounda Resort in Crete, a city resort on the Athenian coastline, a boutique hotel in Mykonos and the conversion of an abandoned sanatorium into a wellness resort in Arcadia.

Is there a building or product that strikes you as particularly well-designed or innovative?

The Yokohama International Passenger Terminal by Foreign Office Architects.