Tell us about your journey — how did it all begin, what was the starting point, and how has your path evolved?
The journey has been a long one. After many years as a Creative Director in some of the largest advertising agencies in Greece, I decided that this chapter of communication — as defined on a multinational level — had come to an end. Facing an economic and social landscape in Greece that didn’t ignite the desire for a new beginning, somewhere between Toronto and Montreal, on a train, the idea for Saint of Athens was born — a design agency with a different philosophy. One driven by passion, patience, and talent; by logic and emotion, and with no attachments to systems or conventions
Having created a creative studio that now works across a wide range of projects, what would you say is your strongest asset, and what is your biggest challenge?
Strategic design is definitely part of our company’s DNA. Creating a visual language — beyond talent, inspiration, and vision — must respond to real needs, function effectively, and not be confined by what is conventionally considered “beautiful.”
How do you think Greece has evolved in your field in recent years, and what could it still learn from international creativity?
In truth, Greek design has the power to speak to every culture — especially when it draws inspiration from, and extends, our own heritage. If there’s something we must overcome, it’s ourselves — our tendency to constantly incorporate unaltered elements from the design of other countries and creators. Perhaps blending them, rather than swallowing them whole, could be a good and alternative approach.
Is there a dream project you would love to bring to life?
Every new project is a challenge. Regardless of its size or scope, for our team, time, research, craftsmanship, and strategic thinking behind the creative proposal remain essential components of our work. You know, even a seemingly simple project — we can turn it into a dream project ourselves.
How do you manage different types of projects running in parallel? Is it easy to do so?
With planning — and sometimes with emotion, which can throw me off schedule. It’s not easy. Every idea has its own level of difficulty in execution. It demands patience and great effort to bring it to life. That’s why absolute coordination between the creators on the team and our external collaborators is crucial.
Which designers do you admire, and what do you see as the future of your field?
I could mentionPeter Saville and his legacy from the 1980s, the creative team behind the Mexico 1968 Olympic Games, the International Style in architecture and how it was interpreted through modernist principles in Greece by pioneering architects such as Doxiadis, Valsamakis, Konstantinidis, Orros, Dimitris Pikionis, Rodakis with his handcrafted house in Aegina, Vernardaki, Moralis, Saridis. The list is endless — and so is the journey.
How do you define beauty?
Beauty is the reason you turn your head to look. To fall in love, to love, to feel envy. All of that is beauty — even if it’s not beauty in the classical sense.
Have you ever designed an object?
As a team, we’ve had the luck and joy of designing many objects for our studio’s projects — even our own office spaces. Personally, I’ve designed a ceramic cup called “Πotery”, as an extension of the palm and its imprint on soft clay. The cup was produced in collaboration with 3some ceramics. Also, in production by Urbi et Orbi, the Kion side table was released — a clear reference to the Doric simplicity of the structural elements of temples and dwellings in ancient Greece. To these two functional objects, we’ve now added a wooden chair, Chair 01, marking the beginning of a furniture series deeply influenced by the simplicity, formalism, and functionality that define modernism.
What are your next steps?
I believe I’m close to creating a new concept that will combine functional design, world cultures, art that hasn’t yet found its place in galleries, and the pleasure of time and taste. I would love to share all of this with friends and passersby in an Athenian neighborhood.
Greece is…
The marble, the white, the cypress trees, small fried fish with onion in a taverna, anise, ceramics, round pebbles, rocks, waves, the sky with our own kind of blue, the blackbirds hidden in the arbutus trees, grape spoon sweets, whitewashed flowerbeds, stone walls, homemade bread, buried statues, little lights in the distance, courtyards, olive oil, songs. It’s everything born from the talent, the nature, and the kindness of its people. And it’s a lot.
Describe yourself in three words
Persistent, visionary, difficult.
Three books you love…
I’ll mention the creators behind the books I love: Bret Easton Ellis, Pavlos Matesis, William Gibson — each for the different images they have allowed me to stage in my mind.
One thing you’re proud of…
For the possibility that my ideas — and their execution — may have influenced a decision or stirred emotions. That alone is reason enough for me to feel proud.
