ISTION WINE BAR
LEROS, GREECE | 2023
In the northern eastern part of Leros and in the area of Ag. Marina, in a place where in the last years there was a café-bar, a new modern space was designed to host the wine bar, Istion.
The primary objective was the creation of a modern, minimal space, with innovative design, yet retaining elements of traditional architecture.
The project had many challenges as the building was built in 1900 and any interventions required to be done were made with cautious steps. The masonry was 0.70cm thick and built of stone and plastered with straw and mud. The floors were with wooden beams and troughs and there were arches on the front of the building.
A source of inspiration for the architectural design was the name of the store and the location of the building located on the harbor and by the sea.
Owners' demand was to create a new modern space that will work all months of the year. The use of the store will be a wine-bar, a restaurant, a café, pastry shops and traditional sweets.
The store grows from outside to inside in 4 zones. Because of the lengthy shape of the room, the kitchen was placed in the depth of the shop and a long bar serving the bar of sheet metal was created. The bar, due to the special shape and style that has been applied, directs the look at the depth of the space, the focal point and the metal stairway leading to the loft. Due to the large height of the building, a loft was constructed, serving as a customer service area and as a place for the installation of mechanical equipment.
1925The loft space can be used for small meetings and events. On the high-rise wall opposite the bar and loft was placed a wine-cellation and ripening wine cellar made of black pits and the varieties are listed.
The wooden roof was preserved and with the appropriate interventions because of its age, it was reborn in white shade and details were created with frames surrounding it.
Ceramic tiles were placed on the floor in various shades of wood and with signs, words, numbers, pallet encodings, and continued on the wall creating a conceived rug, emphasizing the height of the space.
In the center of the shop and especially in the area where the arches are located, there are illuminated showers of sweets, ice cream and the area of snacks.
In the space where the tables, chairs and sofas are developed, folding spades are installed that change the space according to the weather and store requirements. With the use of sliding frames, the enclosed space with the yard is integrated, giving you a sense of united space without any obstructions or interference. The huge glazing along the length of the shop gives plenty of light to the space and at the same time a wonderful view to the sea.
Large ceramic tiles were placed on the floor in a shade of burned wood, creating contrasts, but in combination with the wood that exists in the space, a harmonious coexistence is created through their plasticity.
In the ceiling wooden frames were placed on two levels giving the feeling of a three-dimensional pattern projected and architecturally connecting the individual functional units of the store.
A wooden wine cellar was built in the same place, and a wooden structure was placed on the wall, with two-sided sloping blinds, illuminated with hidden lighting.
Inside the courtyard, tables, chairs, sofas were placed for the summer months, and for shading, the use of shadesails, based on metallic columns and beams in a shape-like shape, resembled the sails of a sailboat.
Glass panes were installed around the courtyard, serving as windbreakers on the day that it blows.
The choice of materials is visible iron, perforated sheet metal, glass, ceramic cement hexagonal tiles, trowel cement mortar, corian, prominent sandwich, handmade furniture, retro sofas, earthy fabrics, and modern chairs that create a harmonious result.
PROJECT TEAM