My mom passed away last year, and my sisters entertained my dad for Thanksgiving in Kentucky, so I decided to celebrate Thanksgiving a little differently this year. I traveled to Athens, Greece.
The weather was perfect, and the much-needed break was just what the doctor ordered!
Of course, I can’t go anywhere, especially when traveling, without noticing design details and how things are different from the design trends here in the South.
Greece, like Augusta, has very warm weather in the summer. The winters are mild as well. And, as so many of the tourist spots in Greece are coastal, the outdoors there is just as, if not more important, than how we live and entertain in our hometown.
I couldn’t help but notice how clean and modern most everything is….well, except, of course, for the ruins scattered all over the city of Athens.
The Acropolis, with its glorious Parthenon, sits on a hill overlooking much of Athens. I couldn’t help but think that the more modern buildings were so very contemporary to contrast this most amazing cultural icon. It allows your eye to be free of distraction and go right toward the drama on the hill.
The Acropolis Museum at the base of the hill has been built over the ancient city. The very contemporary building straddles over some of the sites and you can view, around the walkways, the walls of homes, markets and spas.
The clean lines of the new building allow you to focus on these amazing relics. Inside, the museum is cold and clean. Wonderful details that have fallen from the Parthenon are displayed in a neutral and austere setting allowing you to pay close attention to the wonderful detail.
At night, it is all about the lighting. Whether you are on a rooftop where lighting is layered around the patio (under counters and steps) to peering toward monuments on hills that are heavily lit for dramatic impact, lighting is as important in Greece as it is in the city of lights of Paris!
So, here we are in Augusta. Of course, we have nothing here as old as the ancient ruins of European cities. However, we have important places such as the Old Government Building, Old Medical College, Sacred Heart Cultural Center and other historic entertainment venues.
The more vintage buildings might have some Art Deco influence of the 1930s, but our more modern buildings are cleaner and more contemporary. Maybe to create a versatile and neutral setting to allow a show, or a court case to be the complete focus.
As I have mentioned before, I also love to work with items that my clients have purchased as they travel. Whether it is a (smaller) reproduction of a Greek Muse, or a similar type of a Chinese clay soldier, it is fun to create spaces in our homes to display what we find interesting and special. And it always evokes memories of a life well-travelled.
I lived in Washington, D.C. for 10 years. I feel this is the closest thing we have to Europe. There are plenty of buildings with amazing detailed architecture. And then there are the museums, which mostly in deep contrast, are contemporary boxes that allow your eye to focus on the displays.
Whether we are aware or not, we sometimes create some very neutral details in our home architecture and decor, even in our mostly traditional styling. When there is a more multi functional use of space, we tend to be cleaner in the look.
This clean look allows for the function to take the spotlight without cluttering the scene. If outdoor, stucco is used more than brick for stone; then inside, cleaner paint colors are used as opposed to wallpaper or accent walls.
Abstract art is easier on the eye where a more traditional art piece draws your attention to the detail.
Of course, Greece, in all its splendor, has some older stone building structures. But as you peer from almost any rooftop, you see miles and miles of white stucco and red clay roofs.
The more modern homes are very contemporary and can be a string contrast to a neighboring and attached older, stone home. As you walk around Athens, or any of the islands, you will notice fruit trees lining the streets, adding color. Floral bushes and trees complete the Old-World landscape. And then there is the use of paint own doors and shutters.
These colors really pop from all of the white. It creates drama and evokes life and culture!
In the South, we tend to use a lot of bright and bold colors in our patio decor. I often use bold patterns and colors in outdoor cushions and pillows. Even if it doesn’t flow from the interior.
Many times, my clients want to feel as if they are on a tropical or Mediterranean island while they enjoy their pool.
So maybe we aren’t that different. Maybe we just haven’t been around as long as Greece and haven’t the architectural relics to cherish. But we will….in a few thousand years!
