Four Seasons Astir Palace: Meyer Davis and Two Distinct Hotel Identities

Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens opened in March 2019 following the redevelopment of an established hospitality site on the Lemos peninsula in Vouliagmeni. The property includes the Arion and Nafsika hotels as well as a collection of bungalows. Its coastal setting and existing buildings gave the project a substantial history and a varied architectural framework. [2] [3]

Illuminated hotel facade beside the sea at dusk. Photography: Gavriilux.

AETER served as lead architect for the redevelopment, with Meyer Davis responsible for principal interiors. The official project credits also identify landscape architect Thomas Doxiadis and several specialist interior practices. The result is a coordinated hotel complex with distinct places and authors, rather than a commission that can be explained through one designer’s contribution alone. [2]

Open lobby with broad cylindrical columns, timber flooring and seating around a stair opening. Photography: Gavriilux.

Arion: a quieter material register

Meyer Davis lists Four Seasons Arion within its hospitality portfolio. Lighting Design International’s account of the project describes sand-coloured interiors and light carefully integrated into the architecture and joinery. This approach gives the shared spaces a softer register and allows illuminated surfaces to contribute to the atmosphere without making every light source a prominent object. [1] [4]

The lighting designer’s involvement is an important part of the interior story. Joinery, architectural lines and furnishings acquire their evening character through the way they are lit. At Arion, the documented emphasis on concealed and integrated light supports the more restrained identity developed through the material palette. The architectural setting and the lighting scheme are intended to be read together. [4]

Nafsika: another expression of the same setting

Nafsika introduces a different register within the property. Lighting supplier Reggiani documents marble elements in its corridors, illuminated from the front and behind, as part of a more dramatic lighting composition. Its account also notes that the renovation retained the existing structures while renewing their interiors. [5]

That distinction between the two hotels is significant for a property spread across several buildings. The coastal location provides continuity, but the interior and lighting treatments allow each hotel to retain an individual character. Guests encounter related settings with different spatial and material emphases. The larger complex is therefore organised through variation as well as through a shared level of finish and service.

A project with several design voices

Several restaurants and lounges have their own designers. Martin Brudnizki Design Studio created Mercato, Pelagos and Avra, while K-Studio designed Taverna 37 and HELIOS. Meyer Davis also designed Aristotle’s cigar lounge. The shared coastal setting therefore accommodates a range of approaches to dining and gathering, extending the distinction between Arion and Nafsika into the property’s individual venues. [2]

Layered lounge with pale seating, blue cushions, shelving and illuminated wall displays. Photography: Gavriilux.

Large evening lounge with dark timber ceiling slats and groups of upholstered chairs. Photography: Gavriilux.

AETER’s architectural scope included the renovation of the hotel buildings and new elements such as restaurant structures, entrance facilities and a porte-cochère. The practice describes a project shaped by the sensitivity of the existing site. Those interventions support the interiors at a larger scale, organising arrival, movement and the relationship among buildings across the peninsula. [3]

Glazed entrance framed by metallic vertical elements and warm recessed lighting. Photography: Gavriilux.

Design reading: identity across a large property

Astir Palace is useful as a study of how a hotel complex can maintain several identities. Arion’s softer lighting and Nafsika’s more dramatic illuminated surfaces give the buildings different registers without requiring their settings to be disconnected. Lighting helps make that distinction legible through the treatment of familiar architectural elements.

Long corridor with marble surfaces, vertical timber elements and recessed lighting. Photography: Gavriilux.

The wider redevelopment also has to work at two scales. Individual rooms need a coherent material and lighting composition; the peninsula needs connections among hotels, restaurants and outdoor spaces. The contributions of Meyer Davis, AETER and the other design practices address those different requirements. Their combined work gives an established destination a new period of use while allowing its separate buildings and venues to retain their individuality.

Living area with pale sofas, paired table lamps, marble wall surfaces and a view towards the terrace. Photography: Gavriilux.

Guest room with a large bed, timber bedside furniture and a patterned rug. Photography: Gavriilux.

Project details

Project: Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens

Location: Lemos peninsula, Vouliagmeni, Athens, Greece

Four Seasons opening: March 2019

Principal interiors: Meyer Davis; venue-specific authorship is detailed below.

Lead architect: AETER

Landscape: Thomas Doxiadis

Mercato, Pelagos and Avra: Martin Brudnizki Design Studio

Taverna 37 and HELIOS: K-Studio

Lighting design: Lighting Design International

Explore the designer

Meyer Davis in the icönik Global Directory

Sources and project references

[1] Meyer Davis — Four Seasons Arion

[2] Four Seasons — Astir Palace Hotel Athens facts

[3] AETER — Astir Palace Hotel

[4] Lighting Design International — Four Seasons Astir Palace

[5] Reggiani — Four Seasons, Athens