Themis Bobolas and Athena Axioti, the husband-and-wife team behind Greek jewellery brand Apriati, have spent almost 20 years developing the silk-wax cord that nonchalantly ensnares their delicate gold and precious stone motifs. The pair have developed their own process to give gold a coppery sheen. The result forms the basis of their fine jewellery pieces, and is used in their signature bracelets.
The precision that underlines Apriati designs is also reflected in the architecture of its London boutique (Apriati’s seventh store, following outposts in Greece, Paris and New York). In Ancient Greek, ‘apriati’ means a yearning for beautiful things, and this was a starting point for the store’s designers, Athens’ Kois Associated Architects. ‘The primary goal of a jewellery store is to create a sense of magic,’ says practice founder Stelios Kois.
‘We imagined a journey that takes you from the street through a fairytale garden to a mystical marble cave at the back of the store.’
Wooden boxes on ‘stems’ house individual pieces of jewellery that together form a ‘ower garden’ visible from the street. Each one slots, Jenga-style, into an oak floor made up of removable pieces, so that the display is wholly changeable. Everything was custom-designed and handmade in Greece and the UK. The interior architecture, with its arches and symmetry, is loosely inspired by the spirit of Greek classicism. ‘Ancient Greek heritage and the simplicity of the Doric order are there in spirit,’ explains Kois. ‘To me, the boutique has more in common with an art installation than a jewellery store.’ §