Angeliki Piligkou talks about aesthetics at home, based on her experience as a freelance architect and artist and is a co-founder of HouseID, an awarded and innovational platform for furniture and decoration. She studied architecture in Democritus University of Thrace and she is a self-taught painter. She has worked in Copenhagen, Denmark, on artistic installations and as an assistant curator.
What did you incorporate from your professional knowledge of aesthetics at home and design in your personal space?
Creating a vision is important for me; it’s something I do for every project I take on, personal or professional. For me it’s more about storytelling than just picking a sofa or a color. Then, there is space planning to create efficiency. Planning for real life and being thoughtful about how you use your space every day.
Do you use sustainable materials for you and your customers? Can you explain more about these materials and why they’re being used?
I always try to use sustainable material for all my home projects, whenever the conditions allow it. There are many types of sustainable materials. We have the recycled ones that require fewer virgin resources; the durable ones that don’t need frequent replacements or maintenance and are usually reusable too; the non-toxic ones, the moisture resistant ones, the water and energy conserving ones, and the locally available. I’m always using locally available materials; they minimize transportation costs, greenhouse gas emission during transportation, and most importantly the interference with the local ecology.
What are some of the green features of your home aesthetics?
Every piece of furniture I own is made of different types of wood (with very few exceptions); it is a sustainable, thus green, material. Then, I have a lot of plants in every room of my home, including the bathroom.
What are your favorite colors and objects at home? Why?
For my home, I have chosen a cool tone palette. I really like the “new green greys”, that I have also used; for example, Tikkurila’s V444, Benjamin Moore’s Wedgewood Gray and Jotun Lady’s Treasure. I feel that they look great paired with light toned wood and give a Scandinavian aesthetic to my home. My favorite object is my record player; I’m a big fan of music and I use it whenever I want to relax, cook or just dance!
Does a home reflect the personality of the owner? In what way? Can you provide an example?
I believe that one’s home is a history of behaviors and choices (whether deliberately or subconsciously). The things that we choose to display, the way we display them. For instance, souvenirs that state that one travels; several books on a specific topic that reflect phases that we’ve been through; or even a calendar that shows organization. In that last case, you have to look if the calendar is used. If not it’s more of an aspiration to be organized.
What were some of the project’s challenges and your solutions? What are your future plans?
One of the biggest challenges is arguing for good design over cheap construction. I try to make it clear that a great design adds value to the building in both monetary terms and the quality of life of the users. Another issue is finding great products to match my designs. There is a vast amount of decorations, furnishings, materials out there; finding the ones that bring your design in reality involves hours of searching through catalogs and getting lost in Google. That is one of the reasons, my team and I have founded HouseID; a website where anyone can find the best products that Athens has to offer. So, my future plans are to expand in other cities or even countries, so my fellow colleagues don’t have to lose their patience searching.
