Papillon — Athens, Greece

To look at the nondescript one-storey building – despite its tony address on a busy street in an upscale residential suburb in northern Athens – you’d be hard-pressed to imagine what a quiet feat of imagination Minas Kosmidis has wrought inside.
Drawing on the mood and lines of bistrots in Paris and New York, the Thessaloniki-based studio reorganised the flow of the space by concentrating the initial buzz at the bar and foyer: a generously proportioned room with heavy bronze cross beams that’s anchored by a broad bar topped with white Volakas marble, and lit with glow-globes and furnished with Bentwood chairs, high stools, and Venetian rattan back panels.
Further in, the dining room with its crudo bar at the far end is equally evocative in its unabashed classicism. Trimmed with bronze, accented with Cole and Son floral wallpaper and walnut, the ensemble is capped with a glass pitched roof to accentuate the illusion that you’ve stepped into a fin de siècle European garden.
Stepping up to the mark, executive chef Giannis Markadakis harnesses regional produce into his Italian and French menu that’s sprinkled with the likes of pumpkin risotto with sherry cream, thyme and marjoram, a confit of duck leg glazed with Cabernet, and skate sauced with butter and capers.
ADDRESS
Leoforos Kifisias 242
Athens
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
The world’s best swimwear brands, according to Wallpaper*
From architectural precision to a sense of ease and luxury, our comprehensive guide to the world’s best swimwear brands – for both men and women – will help you find the perfect beach attire this summer
-
Aesop’s Queer Library bookmarks brilliant literature, no purchase required
Returning to London’s Soho, 3-6 July 2025, the Queer Library pop-up offers complimentary books by LGBTQIA+ authors and allies
-
Wangechi Mutu's powerful sculptures take over the palatial interiors of Rome's Galleria Borghese
The Kenyan-born artist is the first living woman to have a solo exhibition at the villa
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the world
Celebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Sun-soaked European destinations to visit in spring
Dreaming of Florentine palazzos and Greek islands now that the weather is starting to turn? Check into one of these beautiful European hotels and holiday homes
-
Night at the museum: the best art hotels to book now
Sleep amid surrealists at London’s Broadwick Soho, or wake up to contemporary favourites at New Hotel in Athens – indulge in an immersive art hotel experience
-
Glamping on the Greek riviera: an alternative resort rooted in luxury
We check in at the 91 Athens Riviera; an alternative seaside glamping resort in the Greek capital that is all about relaxed luxury
-
Step inside Koumkan, Athens’ new bar of moody glamour and whimsy
Designed by Manhattan Projects, Koumkan’s interiors blend austere yet glamorous flair, evoking the mood of an inter-war bar
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this year
From the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
Tour an Athens hotel that doubles up as a retro swim club
Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens is a glamorous urban oasis for overnight stays or just a day
-
One&Only’s portfolio of ultra-luxury escapes reaches out to new horizons
From the Maldives to Mexico, One&Only’s resorts and private homes around the world offer exceptional stays in idyllic locations, soon to include a first USA property, designed by Olson Kundig