— Matina: “I like the house because it’s very unique. I hate the mass culture, the way everything is being imitated and reproduced. This is a house that makes a statement in itself as being different.”
Interview By: Welcome Beyond
— Please tell us a little about the history of the house.
Matina: “The history of the property very much has to do with its location and the family who owned it. Industrialist Lanaras built it in the early 1900s with Belgian architects. It is one of the city’s few remaining art deco style buildings. It is located in the area of Kypseli, where the Athenian ‘crème-de-la-crème’ resided between the 1930s and the 1980s, including Maria Callas and many shipowners.
My parents, an eccentric couple who was exiled in 1968 during the Junta occupation, returned to Athens during the 1980s when they bought the property, renovated it, filled it with their myriad of collections and transformed it into a unique living environment again.”
My parents, an eccentric couple who was exiled in 1968 during the Junta occupation, returned to Athens during the 1980s when they bought the property, renovated it, filled it with their myriad of collections and transformed it into a unique living environment again.”
— Athens apartment living room
— To you personally, what is so special about the house?
Matina: “I like the house because it’s very unique. I hate the mass culture, the way everything is being imitated and reproduced. This is a house that makes a statement in itself as being different.
I have had very good experiences in the house, and the space works well. It was very well done in terms of architectural design. It doesn’t represent the architecture of the 1960s in Greece where things were just put up. It represents an architect who has put a lot of thought into the plan.
All the rooms were used, there wasn’t a formal area. There were two or three living rooms, and a tea room which is now a bedroom. The family rotated according to the light and the time of day. The house, even though it’s very large, is a warm place and you use it all. That’s also what I appreciate about it.”
I have had very good experiences in the house, and the space works well. It was very well done in terms of architectural design. It doesn’t represent the architecture of the 1960s in Greece where things were just put up. It represents an architect who has put a lot of thought into the plan.
All the rooms were used, there wasn’t a formal area. There were two or three living rooms, and a tea room which is now a bedroom. The family rotated according to the light and the time of day. The house, even though it’s very large, is a warm place and you use it all. That’s also what I appreciate about it.”
— Alexandrian bedroom
— Please tell us a bit about the apartment.
Matina: “It’s an old house and the apartment sleeps up to 10 people. It doesn’t have air conditioning, a microwave, a TV or that kind of stuff — in Greece, there are many rentals with those. What makes our apartment special is that it is very atmospheric. We don’t want to disturb the quality that it has because it’s one of the oldest apartments in Athens as well as one of the largest. If we want to imitate others, then we lose the whole idea of it.
In this apartment, it’s like going back in history. It has been photographed. Films have been made here. It’s just a place where you walk in and open your mouth immediately and say, wow.”
In this apartment, it’s like going back in history. It has been photographed. Films have been made here. It’s just a place where you walk in and open your mouth immediately and say, wow.”
—
— How would you describe the atmosphere of the apartment?
Matina: “Everything is old. The paint is not perfect. The ceilings are very high. Everything shows time, there’s nothing new. It’s like a palace, but it’s not a palace. I would say it’s very similar to old Berlin apartments, Parisian apartments, the kind with very tall ceilings and large doors. It’s grand but not pompous. It’s very understated, but elegant, and there are details everywhere that you can’t really pick up in a photo.
The other thing is that the four bedrooms are separated into themes. This is something that I encouraged. One is the Byzantine room, another is a classical room, then there’s the folklore room and the Coptic Alexandrian room. They each have their own character.”
The other thing is that the four bedrooms are separated into themes. This is something that I encouraged. One is the Byzantine room, another is a classical room, then there’s the folklore room and the Coptic Alexandrian room. They each have their own character.”
— Athens apartment living room
— And the furniture is mainly antiques?
Matina: “The furniture is all antiques or reproductions, but older reproductions. There is art on the walls which depicts paintings from the Greek revolution, not originals, of course. If you go through the different eras of Greek history, there are antiquities in the house, Byzantine icons, objects from when the new Greece was founded in 1827, and depictions of cultured Greeks, people who are dressed in ethnic uniform but in European style. There are a few modern paintings in the house as well. Some include portraits of Byron and other poets. My mother was a collector. She was interested in artifacts and she collected everything from antiques to folklore. It’s a potpourri, basically.
Something the guests tend to mention is how they feel they have gone back in time by spending their holiday with us. They’ve also pointed out the artistic interior, how the art is encompassed in the lifestyle of the house, not just put up onto the walls.”
Something the guests tend to mention is how they feel they have gone back in time by spending their holiday with us. They’ve also pointed out the artistic interior, how the art is encompassed in the lifestyle of the house, not just put up onto the walls.”
— Kitchen
— What was your inspiration to open the apartment as a holiday rental?
Matina: “My sister and I decided to do this when we inherited the house. We decided not to live in it but to rent it out. My mother had always been into entertaining, showing the home like a gallery, so we thought it would be nice for other people to enjoy it during their holiday rather than us selling it.”
—
Matina's favourites:
1930’s Apartment
Transportation
Eat & Drink
Activities
SightsInterview By: Welcome Beyond
— Tell me a bit about the location of the apartment.
Matina: “The location is multi-cultural area with a lot of old buildings with good architecture. Unfortunately, most people who live in them don’t really appreciate them, and a lot of the larger apartments have been cut up.
Our house is 10 minutes from the historical center of Athens. It’s not really a place where you’re going to be wandering around. Anyone who visits will usually hop into a taxi to go into the old part of town.”
Our house is 10 minutes from the historical center of Athens. It’s not really a place where you’re going to be wandering around. Anyone who visits will usually hop into a taxi to go into the old part of town.”
— Apartment entrance
— What do you particularly like about living in Athens?
Matina: “I like the fact that within 10 minutes you can be somewhere very special. I like to wander around Athens a lot. We’re very central so you can walk everywhere. The National Museum is about a 10 minute walk away from the house. The Acropolis Museum is a very modern building with great things in it, but the National Museum was the first museum ever in Greece when the new state was founded in the 1800s, and it’s very atmospheric. It doesn’t have anything modern about it.
Athens is a place where you always find something special because of the layers of history that are here. They’re not always in the tourist books. I offer a special tour for my guests, a morning tour. We go to the places I like, special places.”
Athens is a place where you always find something special because of the layers of history that are here. They’re not always in the tourist books. I offer a special tour for my guests, a morning tour. We go to the places I like, special places.”
—
— What are some of these special places that aren’t in every guidebook?
Matina: “If you only have a little time in Athens and you’re looking to take in the atmosphere of the city, there are some things you might not discern as special if you’re a tourist. Take the Benaki Museum, for example. It’s a small museum that has all the eras of Greek history in it and is something you can see in just a little time, yet you get a taste of everything.
In the afternoon, we might take our own coffee and go to an archaeological site that is free to walk into and make a picnic there in the ruins. We don’t have to go to a café. These are the kinds of things guests wouldn’t do by themselves.”
In the afternoon, we might take our own coffee and go to an archaeological site that is free to walk into and make a picnic there in the ruins. We don’t have to go to a café. These are the kinds of things guests wouldn’t do by themselves.”
— Apartment detail
— What has been the biggest reward to you personally about offering the apartment for rent?
Matina: “The people we meet and the friendships we establish. Also, I really think my mother would love what we’re doing. I hear her somewhere smiling and laughing in the background saying, ‘This is great.’ The house is alive. When she died, the house was left in a state of absence, like a theater where the actors are gone. We cleaned it out and renewed it in some way, giving it freshness, as well as neutrality. I have been true to what she would have wanted.”
—
— When is the best time to visit Athens?
Matina: “All seasons are nice, but Athens in winter is particularly nice — and the islands are as well. The colors are different in the sky then. July and August are the busiest, but spring and fall are good times to travel.”
—
— Thank you, Matina!
Prices are an indication only. The final quote will be the same low price as booking your vacation directly.
There are no fees to book. Please check directly with the owner for special arrangements or information not listed here.
Service
Self-catering
Property type
Apartment
Location
City
Special requirements
Children welcome
Please enquire about pets
Not suitable for wheelchairs
No smoking, please
Transport
Car not required
Paid parking available
Good public transport
Prices are an indication only. The final quote will be the same low price as booking your vacation directly.
There are no fees to book. Please check directly with the owner for special arrangements or information not listed here.
Bedrooms
0 Single bedroom
4 Double bedrooms
0 Twin bedroom
1 Room w. multiple beds
Additional:
2 Sofabeds
4 Extra bed (on request)
0 Air mattress (on req.)
0 Baby cot/crib (on req.)
Bath/shower rooms
0 Bathroom (ensuite)
2 Bathrooms (shared)
0 Shower room (ensuite)
0 Shower room (shared)
0 Toilet (ensuite)
Additional:
1 Toilet (shared)
Other rooms
1 Kitchen
0 Kitchenette
0 Cooking area
4 Living rooms
2 Dining rooms
1 Other rooms
Prices for 5 sharingperson
Lowest price
Highest price
Price per night
€ 210
€ 250
Extra person per night
€ 20
€ 20
Size: 360 square meters. 1 units available.
Rates are per night and include taxes based on occupancy of 5 people. Each additional person (up to a total of 10) is € 20 per night. Housekeeper services are optional. There is no Internet access in the apartment but several WiFi networks in the area and Cafés nearby.
Within 5 minutes walking there are a fitness center, a supermarket, a hospital, a playground, theaters and Cafés. Within 10 minutes walking there is the National park 'Pedion tou Areos'.
