Nixon: my favourite haunt in Athens

Everyone has a favourite place to go out at night. If, like me, one travels to other cities regularly for work, they create a sense of home away from home to you, making you feel at ease as soon as you enter, taking away your exhaustion and angst, relaxing you and making your night fantastic.

Nixon is such a place for me. The bar/restaurant/cinema that Grigoris Stefanidis and his partners have opened at Agisilaou 61B at Kerameikos in Athens, is one of the most elegant places to go out on any night. Great owners, great DJs, great personnel and great people make up a very exciting combination. The inspiring surroundings of course play a major part in the recipe.

The décor features walls painted in deep green, combined with old red leather couches brought in from antique shops, as are most of the things in the establishment. The wall lighting fixture is from the Hilton Athens hotel (before its renovation) as well as two big silver frames with President Nixon's photographs hanging on the walls. Other Nixon memorabilia decorate the place, subtly reminding you the origin of the bar's name.


The big Art Deco chandelier is defining the space, hanging in the centre of the dining area. The ceiling is very high, differentiating the bar from most of its contenders, making the visitor feel more comfortable, even when the place is packed with people.


On the walls you can see some photographs that looked like Nan Goldin's to me, but I might be mistaken. The big bar with the glasses hanging from a metal frame above it attracts a big crowd but the same goes for the DJ booth opposite, especially when friend Makis Papasimakopoulos spins his wild music choices.

The wine list is impressive and the menu is small but great, with the Nixon burger the most enticing choice. It is also open from 13.00 on Sundays for brunch, while kids (big and small) can watch cartoons in the Screening Room. What? A Screening Room?


The "secret" of Nixon is it's Screening Room: a cinema room right next to the main room, all red walls, with big green couches, where you can watch unusual films from all over the world. The latest project was the Psarokokkalo film festival, with great success.

Netherlands trip 2008 - part 2 - Zussen in Utrecht

Zussen is now ranked amongst my favourite places to have a drink in Utrecht. An eclectic mix of various styles and materials, it is a bar-restaurant with a youthful clientèle, tasteful food and interesting music.


Located at Korte Jansstraat 23, Utrecht, in the centre of the city, it was a welcome haven on a humid and cold Monday evening. Although it was the start of the week, there were enough people there to make it lively and vibrant, aided by the eccentric decoration.

Wood is the main note in this neo-baroque concert of materials, either in rough, raw looking planks on the floor and walls...


...or dark looking wenghe with an 80's revival feel in the bar area:


The lighting is another interesting parameter of this establishment. Colour changing lights are used in the wall opposite the bar (it changed constantly from fuchsia to red, yellow, orange, green, blue)...

...to the use of tree branches, big and small, to light the seating areas...

...and a couple of huge lamp shades to finish off the look:


Swirling patterns on the fabric of the chairs (also used as wallpaper in the wooden grid framing the colour-changing wall) and huge painting reproductions on the walls, along with the use of polished stone on the floor, complete the picture. I will definitely go again on my next visit to Utrecht!

The new face of Flocafe unveiled in Glyfada, Athens!

Tetragon Ltd., the company I work for, is responsible for the new image of the Flocafe chain of cafés. The concept for it was finalized after many sessions with Vivartia officials and the design team, ending up in a number of distinct themes.



Flocafe is the biggest chain of cafés in Greece. It belongs to the Vivartia group, the largest food group of companies in the Balkans. Until now, the design of their franchise shops was not following specific guidelines regarding their image. Since the competition s getting stronger though, and with the expansion of Starbucks in Greece, they decided it is time for a change.


The main feature of all the themes of the concept is the repeated use of the spiral incorporated into their logo. That is achieved with a variety of materials and solutions, from lighting to print to constructions etc.






The new Flocafe in Glyfada is the pilot shop. Incorporating the "ecological" theme of the general concept, it features big semi-transparent eco-resin walls (from 3form) with enclosed plant parts in them. With light placed behind, they become an impressive eye-catcher both in the bar and in other areas of the establishment:






The main colour used in this version of the concept is red. It dominates a big partition running throughout the ground floor area, unifying all parts of the shop.


The shop was extended on the ground floor with a semi-permanent glass and metal construction, to allow for the maximum number of seats needed. As it serves food apart from coffee and snacks, various types of furniture were used to delineate these areas.


In the following picture of the upper level you can see the special device for helping people with disabilities use the stairs.


Lemon trees are used at the upper level to convey a sense of nature.


I hope to be able to post professional pictures when I have more material available.

All photos courtesy of Valentino Marengo/Tetragon Ltd.