Furniture Gallery CEO Vasilis Karafotias does not hide his passion for the world of furniture and interior design, taking on the challenges of designing and manufacturing custom-made pieces for commercial and private spaces.
Furniture gallery was established in 2004 and, in these 18 years, Vasilis has led it to a well-deserved prominence powered by out-of-the-box thinking, teamwork and dedication. He spoke to us about his close ties to Mykonos in a short but insightful interview.
Design-wise, what befits Mykonos?
For us, every new project is a story waiting to be told. In the case of Mykonos, of course, the island is already full of interesting stories, so when we are invited to take on a project based here, we will take into consideration not just the typical Cyclades architecture, but the functionality of the space we are designing for, as well as its personality and that of the owner. One type of project more and more clients entrust to the Furniture Gallery in recent years involves upholstering, adapting and generally updating well-loved older pieces of furniture, often antiques with a lot of sentimental value.
At the Myconian Imperial, the goal was to exalt the Greek summer, placing the focus on the light of the sun and the elements of the sky and the sea.
That is what Mykonos would be to me if it were a piece of furniture: A traditional piece – maybe an armchair or table – that has been given a new, very trendy and luxurious twist, in the same way that the island combines the best of both worlds.
You’ve already completed projects on the island. What can you tell us about them?
It was very exciting to work alongside the director, set designer and interior designer Antonis Kalogridis on several of the Myconian Collection hotels and resorts at Elia Beach. You wouldn’t believe the amount of thought, inspiration and planning that went into each of these spaces. In the case of the Myconian Avaton resort, we combined classic with contemporary high-end aesthetics, adding country and indie accents to the interiors for that extra effect. A challenge we faced was combining timber with fabric and LED in couches, armchairs, chairs, and other items, but everyone was elated with the result. At the Myconian Imperial, the goal was to exalt the Greek summer, placing the focus on the light of the sun and the elements of the sky and the sea.
We chose to mirror and pay tribute to the silhouettes of church domes and buildings, and the textures found inside traditional (Cycladic) homes.
The brief here asked for luxurious minimalism with references to nature. I’ll also mention the work we did for the Villa Collection because it was so fulfilling despite its challenges. This project revolved around the art of hospitality, and our made-to-measure constructions included long plush couches, comfortable beds and many more pieces. Of course, all of these designs had references to the Cyclades landscape that we made sure were free from cliches. Instead, we chose to mirror and pay tribute to the silhouettes of church domes and buildings, and the textures found inside traditional homes. Our colours were both inspired by and complementary to the famous Mykonos landscape and architecture.
What is Mykonos to you?
Mykonos is iconic, but creating for it is a challenge. There is such a high level of hospitality and services in general at properties such as those of the Myconian Collection, and since it’s such a popular destination, the expectations are very high. We always give it our best – all our energy, attention to detail and motivation. This is how we tackle challenges and bring new designs to life. This is how we shape stories. Fortunately, working on Mykonos projects also means getting to visit this breathtaking island, which is a blessing.