Danielle Louise

The Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens had me looking at everything — not just the obvious statement pieces, but the smaller design decisions that make a space feel considered.

What I loved most was the restraint. The mid-century references are there in the low-slung furniture, warm timber, chrome, terrazzo and sculptural lighting, but it never feels like a recreation of another era. There’s enough contemporary art, unexpected form and Greek influence to give it its own identity.

I’m always drawn to interiors that mix periods rather than committing too heavily to one. There’s something much more personal about a room where a vintage-looking chair can sit beside a contemporary artwork, beautiful stone and an almost industrial light fitting — and somehow it all speaks the same language.

It’s the kind of place that makes me stop and photograph a chair, a doorway, the way the afternoon light hits a table… probably more than is socially acceptable.

Design inspiration collected in Glyfada.