Salon de Bricolage // The first Members Only club in Athens

published in: Restaurants/Bars By Lauren Del Vecchio, 15 April 2011

Pin It

Image Courtesy of Salon de Bricolage

The Members Only Club is a very special part of the modern day world city.  Associated in the good old days with black and white movies, after hour card games, the Rat Pack, tuxedoes and speakeasies, the member’s only club has evolved into an essential part of what makes a neighborhood “hip” in the 21st century.  New York, London, and Paris all have their answers to the modern day clubhouse, with places for the young bohemians/ creative thinkers/ artists of tomorrow to gather.  It’s about time Athens*GR provided such a space for the youth creating their burgeoning art, design, and foodie scene.

Image Courtesy of Salon de Bricolage

And who better to introduce such a place to Athens than Spyros and Chrysanthos Panas the brothers behind the ethereal and always elegant Island Club and Restaurant, and the Island Art and Taste event spaces in Athens, Greece.  Panas Group wanted to create an environment for “seemingly diverse people who have a common denominator” to gather and share ideas and ultimately make a larger contribution to the society as a whole.  It is a proactive and noble effort on their part.  It is so much more than just building a lounge or a club.  The goal here is to provide a clubhouse for ideas and see where it takes the community - and what better place and time to watch such an organic process than the young and restless Athens?   We’ve watched what happens when we give resources to the bankers and financiers of the world… let’s give the artists something to work with!  Panas Group is cultivating talent.

Image Courtesy of Salon de Bricolage

Members are hand selected by an approval committee upon specific guidelines as stated on their website, “The people of Salon de Bricolage are people with personality, for seeking good taste and quality, aware of the meaning of facts, and are not consumed in meaningless luxuries”.  Salon de Bricolage is a cozy, intelligent space.  A communal farm table in the center of the dining room is symbolic of an open atmosphere where you are encouraged to share, and strike up a conversation with your neighbor.  The entire townhouse is designed for interaction and comfort.  Industrial details outline the rooms in just the right amount of edge to protect an inner layer of plushy couches, warm tones, and clean lines.  Purple velvet curtains by the bar transition the space from day to night – far into the night sharing fun cocktails with your new friends.

Image Courtesy of Salon de Bricolage

Image Courtesy of Salon de Bricolage

Image Courtesy of Salon de Bricolage

Salon de Bricolage was introduced aiming at the promotion of art, gastronomy, winery, and entertainment, as well as wellbeing and conjectural arts.  Members also can be invited to various happenings. such as gastronomy seminars, premium drinks and cocktails tasting, live performances, exhibitions of conjectural character, as well as private parties organized by Salon De Bricolage exclusively for them.” In short, we've got a case of a well-designed ''playground'' for the modern day Athens dweller, yet the potential for the collaborations that may come out of this formula is the most exciting of all.  We at Yatzer look forward to writing about a work of art or design that was conceived by otherwise strangers “over cocktails at the exclusive Salon de Bricolage”.

Image Courtesy of Salon de Bricolage

sources:

Salon de Bricolage

  • friend
    Mariona Espinet | 2011-04-15 14:42:08

    Who designed this fantastic place?

  • friend
    maria | 2011-04-17 20:24:05

    Aren't the chairs beside the farm table the customs chairs of all the Greek public schools? While I was reading your other post about Greek design and the successful design Decalogue, I wondered if the unknown (?) designer of the Greek school desks is one of the best and underestimated designs ever. And two minutes later, here are the chairs in one of the most beautiful spaces I've seen here!

  • friend
    YannisB | 2011-04-25 20:32:57

    Archset, an architectural office created by the architects and set designers Giorgos Gavalas and Ioannis Mourikis designed Salon de Bricolage

Your message is awaiting moderation. Thank you. - {x}

Leave a comment

Make sure you enter the * required information where indicated. Please also rate the article as it will help us decide future content and posts. Comments are moderated. Please no link dropping, no keywords or domains as names; do not spam, and do not advertise!