The Centro Ottici store of optician Dimitris Farmakis is somewhat of an institution in the retail scene of the Alsos neighbourhood in Athens. Established four decades ago, the store is still going strong, serving a sizeable following with its merchandise and services. To secure its position for the coming years, Farmakis opted for a full revamp of the 50 sqm. (538 sq.ft.) premises and knocked on the door of local practice MOLD architects. The interior has almost entirely been gutted and deconstructed to its basic components, resulting in eight vertical and horizontal surfaces, grouped into four pairs of surfaces in different materials and serving clearly distinct purpose. The front of the store sees a floor-to-ceiling modular metal grid which also extends across the entire wall on one side of the store, and serves to showcase Centro Ottici‘s extensive collection of sunglasses.
Directly opposite, the lower end of the wall features a cluster of drawers – mind you, these are existing drawers taken from across the premises now grouped together – and a white vertical exhibition surface right above it, and it’s paired with a three-metre metal table. An existing attic space is fully clad in slabs of mirror which reflects the immediate surroundings while optically enlarging it at the same time. At the far end, a sales counter is situated in front of an illuminated back wall which ties in with an equivalent ceiling at the front of the store. So, what’s on the shelves? Centro Ottici carries men’s and women’s prescription eyewear and sunglasses from a wide range of top brands, including Celine, GIGI Studios, Oliver Peoples, MYKITA and Loewe.
Centro Ottici
Leoforos Eleftheriou Venizelou 22 (Alsos)
171 21 Athens
Telephone: +30 210 9373322
Mon 9-3
Tue 9-2 and 5-9
Wed 9-3
Thu-Fri 9-2 and 5-9
Sat 9-3
Publishers Note
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