Baiser — Xanthi, Greece
A decade after he had worked on Baiser – a popular café and bar in central Xanthi – the Thessaloniki-based designer Minas Kosmidis was tapped to refurbish the 120 sq m space.
The result is a slick reimagining that is almost entirely at odds with the menu offerings of whole-grain sandwiches filled with prosciutto and basil olive, and toasted bruschetta layered with smoked salmon, lime and dill. The space – named after the French word for ‘kiss’ – really comes into its own in the evening as slender brass cylinder lamps cast a warm glow over the walnut floor and the white marble slabs of the bar, the latter cast with the sleek silhouette of a submarine. Ovaloid metal panels swathed in peacock wing prints, mirrors and stone, double as room dividers and decorative features.
The high tables and upholstered stools make perfect perches for people-watching while sipping the Submarine, a lethal cocktail of vodka, vanilla and mastika.
ADDRESS
Vasilissis Sofias 5
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.
-
Tobi Masa lands at The Chancery RosewoodChef Masa Takayama’s debut London restaurant transforms modernist geometry into a space of ritual calm and culinary purity
-
Bionic Labs builds precision next-level Apple accessories from aluminium and stainless steelFrom stands, chargers and keyboard trays to a set of accessories for the Vision Pro, Parisian design studio Bionic Labs offers only the best for your Apple gear
-
Yuko Mohri’s living installations play on Marcel Duchamp’s surrealismThe artist’s seven new works on show at Milan’s Pirelli HangarBicocca explore the real and imaginary connections that run through society
-
These dreamy cliffside suites in Santorini invite you to sink into serenityCanaves Oia Suites has debuted five new cliffside hideaways designed by Kapsimalis Architects. We checked in
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate 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 springDreaming 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 nowSleep 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 luxuryWe 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 whimsyDesigned 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 yearFrom 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 clubAce Hotel & Swim Club Athens is a glamorous urban oasis for overnight stays or just a day