AthensWas was created to delight visitors who want to experience Athens' tranquil, attractive side, in what has been the heart of the city since ancient times. Designed by the celebrated Greek design practice, the rooms, suites and entire interior of the AthensWas hotel stand out for their clear, vibrant and integrated aesthetic which charms with its cohesion and uncontrived dedication to luxury. That AthensWas does not suffer from the white noise generated by a stylistic mélange gives the hotel a significant comparative advantage. The refined aesthetic of AthensWas stems from a single stylistic axiom rooted in the core principles of classical modernism, and this contributes to the sense of inner peace which imbues its spaces and makes spending time in its spaces a joyous experience. Of course, we made a conscious choice to build it this way. Firstly, because it was modernism which revived the timeless allure of the Doric—the clear-cut, unfussy architectural forms we know so well from the classical period of Greek antiquity—and remoulded it in its own unique way. And secondly because it is classical modernism that has set its seal, more than any other architectural idiom, on the most fascinating aspects of Athens today—it really is the Athenian style par excellence. Throughout the entire period in which the city expanded to its current size, meaning the Thirties through to the Seventies, classical modernism remained popular with Athenian architects who, enamoured with its compatibility with available building materials, continued to build exceptional structures in this style. Which is why the interior of AthensWas is dominated by Greek marble and Greek walnut, the most sought after and -according to those in the know- most beautiful domestic wood. Our guests can thus enjoy a veritable feast of superb Greek marble from different parts of the country and in a range of unexpected hues both in their private bathrooms and verandas and in the hotel’s communal staircases, floors and walls. In the rooms and suites, furniture which we would describe today as modern classics, such as the LC3 armchairs which were designed in 1928 by Le Corbusier, the exquisite Eileen Gray divan (1925), or the wonderful coffee table designed by Warren Platner in 1966, blend perfectly with more contemporary creations of international design, such as the Canta and Viki armchairs by Toshiyuki Kita, the Venus chair by Konstantin Grcic, lamps by the Bouroullec brothers and many others that give vibrant fiery tones to the whole which both surprise and impress. The calm, cheerful atmosphere is further enhanced by the softness – in most cases very discreet –of the lighting. Finally, the printed wall-to-wall carpets with their cheery modernistic designs direct from the swinging 60s underline the whole stylistic composition and maintain it in a state of constant merriment. What is so impressive is that all the hotel spaces feel warm, familiar, joyful and peaceful right from the word go. If one were to describe this emotion in philosophical terms, it would probably be that AthensWas offers its guests ‘Epicurean composure’, thanks to which they will remember their stay in Athens forever, as a magnificent and welcome ‘cure’, comprising real rest and lavish pleasures.