
Athens, Greece
Renovation 2021 - Completed
Lighting design for two connecting spaces. Artificial dynamic lighting with smart Bluetooth controls. The scheme includes localised interventions in two connecting spaces of “River West” mall. These spaces introduce the visitors to the mall’s new commercial identity. The design vocabulary for these targets on high visual impact, strong enough to create new experience spaces. The project concerns two bottle-neck areas that function as gateways linking the existing mall’s superstructure to the new outdoor extension “River West Open”, located in two levels.
Project credits
- Client: Noval Property Α.Ε.Ε.Α.P.
- Architects: Vikelas architects, concept design in collaboration with DNE architects
- Lighting design team: Matina Magklara, Melina Lasithiotaki
- Photos: Gavriil Papadiotis
Project services
- Design: Concept to detailed design
- Implementation: Commissioning, Focusing, Programming
The key lighting objective in the ground floor is to create a strong eye-catching visual stimulus that will attract the visitors from far and guide them to the new extension. Entering the new gateway, a large flat luminous ceiling links the interior to the exterior. The luminous ceiling composes of seven individual segments, each of whom is individually addressed with tuneable white light sources in order to assist the visitors’ visual adaptation. The system is based on Bluetooth technology and real-time clocks creating perpetually changing scenarios and festive lighting scenes.
In the superimposing first floor area, the bottle-neck width is much narrower and the connection to outdoor lighting conditions more filtered. Aim of the lighting scheme is to make an impact, to create an experience that stands out by itself, like a kaleidoscope. Luminous oblique frames combined with full-mirrored surfaces create an illusional effect, extremely strong and playful that extends the narrow boundaries to an endless possibilities space.

Vouliagmeni, Greece
Renovation 2019 - Completed
Exterior and interior lighting design for all customer areas. “Ithaki” is a fine-dining restaurant located in the most prestigious area of the athenian riviera. The restaurant comprises of luxurious interior halls and exterior plateaus with breathtaking views to the aegena sea.
Awards
- IES Award of Merit 2020
- Lighting Design Award 2020
- Lighting Awards 2020 GOLD (Interior hospitality)
- Lighting Awards 2020 GOLD (Exterior hospitality)
- A’ Design Award Silver 2021
Project credits
- Client: VSgroup
- Interior Design: SMK interiors
- Lighting design team: Matina Magklara, Catia Milia-Argeiti
- Photos: Alvaro Valdecantos
Project services
- Design: Concept to Detailed technical design
- Implementation: Commissioning, Focusing, Programming
- Custom luminaires and luminous structures: Design and supervision, custom lighting structures manufactured by Vlaxakis workshop, custom decorative luminaires manufactured by Placed
Main goal of the lighting scheme is to provide an immersive dining experience supported by the views to the sea and the sky. The interior lighting approach focuses on controlling glare and glazing reflections whilst setting an impression of warmth, elegance and style. The exterior lighting is carefully balanced to support the natural environment, to provide proper levels of brightness to ensure safe way finding and to set a sense privacy for luxurious dining.
The lighting scheme is full of details. The Interior areas include special features such as the display cabinet for the restaurant’ s fine wine collection, the bar with the custom glass display shelves, the main feature of the restaurant a double-sided transparent partition with artificial corals, the outdoor bar with the onyx marble front and the custom fine-spirits display shelves.

"Dimotiko Theatro (Municipal Theatre)" Metro Station, Piraeus, Greece
Permanent archaeological exhibition, 2022 - Completed
Permanent exhibition lighting, design of special luminous structures, lighting simulations and lighting calculations. ‘Dimotiko Theatro’ Metro Station in Piraeus houses the permanent archeological exhibition ‘Tales of the invisible water’ that develops in five thematic exhibition sections.
Project credits
- Client: Attiko Metro S.A.
- Joint Venture Contractor: J&P- Avax S.A.- Ghella S.P.A. – Alstrom Transport S.A.
- Ephorate of Antiquities of Piraeus and Islands: Director and General overview: Stella Chryssoulaki / Museological study and curating: Dora Evangelou / Archaeological documentation: Panagiotis Koutis, Giorgos Pappas / Architectural renderings: Aimilios Bendermacher-Gerousis
- Attiko Metro: Station Architect and Supervisor: Polyxeni Antoniou; Attiko Metro / Project Management: Evangelos Kolovos, Sissy Voutyritsa
- Designers and Curators: Museographic Design: Spyros Nasainas, Despoina Tsafou / Luminous ceiling architecture, ancient cistern presentation and exhibition construction: Elias Papadopoulos; Tetragon S.A. / Graphic design: Akrivi Anagnostaki / Video: Panagiotis Tsibiridis, Ino Theodorou, Betty Evangelinou / Replica design and construction: Dimitris Selimis
- Lighting design team: Matina Magklara, Melina Lasithiotaki
- Photos: Matina Magklara
Full Project credits in Ephorate of Antiquities of Piraeus and Islands - Ministry of Culture & Sports
Project services
Design: Concept to detailed design
Implementation: Commissioning, Focusing, Programming
Custom luminaires and luminous structures: Lighting assessment
The key lighting aspects are to create a well-balanced luminous hierarchy, to enhance the legibility of showcases, illustrations and digital displays, to create the right ambiance for the museological narrative, to integrate lighting into the station’s architecture and to meet Attiko Metro’s lighting standards in general illumination and uniformity. A tuneable white lighting system that shifts from bright and cool during morning hours to dimmed and warm during nighttime has been installed to the cisterns and wells to add a boost to the commuters’ mood. This dynamic lighting system perpetually adapts to the ever-changing sunpath via smart controls. Artificial light imitates daylight as if light was penetrating the subterranean space through the openings creating a sense of openness in “time capsules”.

Mykonos, Greece
Renovation 2019 - Completed
Dynamic lighting design with tuneable-white lighting applications linked to daylight and sunlight path. Based on Bluetooth protocol. Scene setting includes dimmable display lighting. The concept is based on a 3-dimensional spiral, where the pole of the spiral is the interior space while the helix is the daily cycle of natural light.
Awards
- Casambi Awards 2nd Prize 2019
- DARC Award 2020
Project credits
- Architects: SMK interiors
- Photos: Alvaro Valdecantos
- Lighting design team: Matina Magklara, Catia Milia-Argeiti
Project services
- Design: Concept to detailed design
- Implementation: Commissioning, Focusing, Programming
The lighting design aims to connect and balance the dynamic daytime conditions to the fixed lighting environment of the hotel’s interior and overcome the 'cavernous feeling' of the tunnel.
The intensity and colour tone of the artificial light constantly change according to the time of day and year. During daytime the cool CCT and high intensity of daylight are brought into the tunnel and gradually change to warmer tones and lower intensities moving toward the interior of the hotel.
The interior lighting of the hotel’s reception (the pole) remains at a constant 2700K CCT. The entrance of the tunnel (the helix) varies, starting from dawn with bluish tones, moving to neutral white shades to gradually become warmer and warmer into night-time, when the light imitates the candlelight effect in amber tones. The reverse transition then occurs to meet the dusk.
Meanwhile, the lighting in the retail display cases maintain a constant CCT of 3000K but vary in intensity according to the time of day, for optimum visual balance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihRmK3j-xWE



