What It Takes to Turn a Government Building Into a Luxury Hotel
Featured Property The Modernist Athens
Opening 2018
Designed by Formrelated
Location Kolonaki, Athens, Greece
Featured Visionary Kostis Karatzas
This film was created in collaboration
Originally a diplomatic office built in the 1950s, the building that now houses The Modernist Athens was shaped by modernist precision. Decades later, Kostis Karatzas chose to preserve that clarity rather than erase it. The result is a hotel that feels composed, deliberate and rooted in its neighbourhood.
Kolonaki has long existed as one of Athens' most established districts. Close to the historic centre yet removed from spectacle, it is shaped by galleries, embassies and cafés that have operated for decades rather than months. The building sits within that rhythm. It was never designed for theatre. It was designed for function.
When the opportunity arose to transition it from diplomatic office to hotel, the ambition was not reinvention. It was translation. The architectural grid remained. The measured proportions of the façade continued to guide the interior. Mid century modernism, when stripped of nostalgia, is not decorative. It is about balance, proportion and the removal of what is unnecessary. That philosophy became the foundation for every design decision that followed, with the renovation led by FORMrelated Studio, who worked to honour the building's structural discipline rather than mask it.
“It is not the building itself, it is not the design, it is not the groundbreaking hospitality practice that we discovered. It is the people that create that, it is the people that change it, it is the people that can keep it interesting and cool and relevant.”
Kostis Karatzas - Founder
What makes The Modernist distinct from other city hotels is not its architecture alone, but its operating model. From the beginning, the hotel has worked with local bakeries, flour shops and independent producers, sourcing at a hyper local level wherever possible. Breakfast is not an imported concept. It is Athens on a table. Bread from a few streets away. Ingredients chosen not because they photograph well, but because they exist here.
At the same time, the brand carries consistent collaborations that travel with it across properties. Strategic partnerships that maintain coherence without flattening individuality. It is a balancing act that requires discipline, and it reflects how Kostis approaches every aspect of the hotel.
Rooms are defined by alignment and light rather than ornament. Materials support the architecture rather than compete with it. The palette stays neutral so proportion becomes the primary design element. Nothing is layered for effect. The experience feels structured and deliberate.
The rooftop terrace overlooks the city skyline and Lycabettus Hill without theatrical gesture. It does not attempt to dominate the view. It opens the building to it. A place to begin or end the day without performance, where the city feels close but never intrusive.
“Why would you want to stay in a cookie cutter boring hotel if you can stay in a more authentic and more honest place? It is not something that comes out of nowhere. It is not the big guys of the industry discussing how they are going to shape the future. It is just life. Things are progressing.”
Kostis Karatzas - Founder
The Modernist does not attempt to rival Athens' ancient narrative. It exists within the contemporary one. A building once associated with diplomacy now hosts travellers who value architecture, culture and subtlety. Its strength lies in coherence, in knowing what to keep and what to leave out. It is precise without being cold. Considered without being aloof.
Why We Choose to Film The Modernist Athens
We chose to film The Modernist because it sits in Kolonaki, walking distance to the Acropolis and Syntagma Square, but far enough from the tourist centre to feel like a different city. It is a residential neighbourhood shaped by galleries, museums and local life.
The hotel is deliberately simple. There is no restaurant because Kostis chose not to compete with the city around him. Instead, the collaborations connect you to it. The rooftop cocktail list was created by Nikos Bakoulis from Line Athens, ranked eighth in the World's 50 Best Bars. Bathroom amenities are made with Physis Laboratory, a third generation pharmaceutical laboratory in Thessaloniki. Ceramic cups are handmade by local ceramicist George Vavatsis. None of it is performative. All of it opens a door to the people behind the city.
That is what drew us. A hotel that knows its role is not to be the destination, but to lead you to one.
