Athens café and store Philos occupies an elegantly decayed neoclassical mansion on Solonos Street, built in 1937 by entrepreneur Euripidis Koutlidis and largely unoccupied since his death in the 1970s.
The property is now open to the public, thanks to two young Athenian fashion insiders, Marilena Emmanouil and Sotiris Tsaglis, who have turned it into a unique retail adventure. A grand café leads on to various spaces showcasing fashion and homewares.
The latter ranges from Parisian Bacsac geotextile pots for plants to hand-carved Hella Slingshots from San Francisco. Apparel is craft-based with a tendency towards Scandinavian design and American heritage brands, such as Sandqvist and Suigeneric. This autumn, the owners are set to open two further floors and the roof terrace, housing a beauty lab, an exhibition area and a supper club.
This piece was originally featured in the September 2015 edition of Wallpaper* (W*198)
