01 · Doric orderI
Architecture
Houses, headquarters and cultural rooms, from the first site walk to the last brass hinge. Plain structure, generous light, materials that age well.
—Private houses—Workplaces—Hospitality—Restoration
Ilias Varenne · Athens · Milan · Est. 2009
Architect and creative director. I design houses, headquarters and the identities that live inside them, for clients who plan in decades.
01 · The practice
I design buildings, brands and objects that are meant to be inherited, not replaced.
Seventeen years, two studios and a small team of eight. Every project is led by me from the first site walk to the one-year visit, so the house, the name on the door and the handle you turn all come from the same hand.
17
Years in practice
Athens, then Milan from 2016
42
Buildings completed
Houses, workplaces, hotels
60
Identities drawn
Names, marks and signage
9
Object editions
Made in runs of forty
02 · Selected work
Eight buildings and objects
04 · Disciplines
Three orders, one hand
Classical builders used three orders of column, each with its own proportions. The practice works the same way: three disciplines, one set of rules.
02 · Ionic orderII
Identity
The name, mark and voice that go on the door and every page after it. Built as a system so the building and the brand read as one.
—Naming—Marks and type—Wayfinding—Brand books
03 · Corinthian orderIII
Objects
Furniture, lighting and hardware drawn for a single room, then made in small runs with the workshops I have trusted for fifteen years.
—Furniture—Lighting—Hardware—Editions
06 · Featured project
Casa Levanta
A concrete house set low into the east wind on Paros, with one eleven-metre window that frames the sea and nothing else.
Year
2025
Area
410 m²
Island
Paros
Stone
Naxos
Read the project
→
07 · Recognition
Laurels, kept quiet
Prizes are not the point, but they help new clients trust a small studio. These are the ones the teams were proudest of.
2026
Casa Levanta
2023
The Oriel Stair
2025
Aurel Headquarters
2026
Nero Lamps
2024
Hotel Meridia
2025
Aurel Identity
2024
Kallisto House
2025
Salt Pavilion
Trusted by
08 · Clients
In their words
“
Ilias listened for a whole afternoon before he drew a line. The house he gave us is the one we did not know how to ask for.
Eleni Aris
Kallisto House, Sifnos
“
He treated our headquarters and our brand as one project. Our people now actually walk the stairs to see each other.
Marco Ferrante
Managing partner, Aurel Capital
“
Every decision came with a drawing and a price. There were no surprises on site, which I have never been able to say before.
Sofia Ranieri
Project director, Meridia Hotels
“
The stair is safer than it has been in two hundred years, and not one visitor can tell what was done.
Paolo Venturi
Chair, Palazzo Oriel trust
“
He sent us a care book for every stone in the house. A year later he came back to check them himself.
Jonas Hale
Casa Levanta, Paros
“
Quiet, exact and always on time. We have asked him to design our next three buildings.
Irene Kosta
Milos Salt Works
09 · Journal
Notes from the studio
Craft
4 min
Why I still draw every door handle
The part of a building you touch most is the part most architects never draw. Here is why I do.
Identity
6 min
What a volute teaches about a brand
The Ionic scroll is a rule that looks like a flourish. Good identity systems work the same way.
Materials
7 min
Choosing stone that will age well
Marble, travertine and limestone behave very differently after ten winters. A plain guide for clients.
10 · Working together
Three ways to begin
Every commission starts with a conversation and a fixed fee. Nothing is drawn before we both know what it will cost.
I
Consultation
A half day on your site, then a written brief with options and a budget range.
From €1,800
Book a consultation
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II
Full commission
Architecture, identity and objects under one agreed fee, led by me from survey to aftercare.
From 9% of build cost
Start a commission
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III
Editions
Lamps, chairs and hardware from the studio’s editions, made to order in runs of forty.
From €640
Ask about editions
→