The Titular Green Box at the Heart of This Greek Home

Bookshelves became hallmark backdrops during the pandemic when students and academics were cast off into the virtual realm for lectures. Receding into the flat space of digital grids, these libraries often served more as wallpaper for the person gesticulating in front. But what if a bookcase was the essential parti of a home, rather than a surface or addition? This is the idea that Archiwave Architects—led by Dimitris Ntoupas and Anna Konstantopoulou—embodied in The Green Box, a 115-square-meter renovation project in Chalandri, Greece, that transforms a former office into a modern home for a young couple.

Modern living room with wood flooring, built-in wooden and green shelving, a seating area with chairs and a sofa, and large windows with sheer curtains letting in natural light.

Modern living room with large windows, sheer white curtains, a gray sectional sofa, a black chair, a coffee table, and a green built-in shelving unit on the right wall.

A modern living room with green built-in shelving, a TV, fireplace, minimalist decor, and a blurred person walking past a black chair on wood flooring.

Inspired by the client’s profession as an educator, the residence’s design centers on a custom-designed bookcase—the titular “Green Box”—which becomes the spatial and conceptual core of the home. Beyond acting as a library, the volume incorporates storage closets while subtly defining the boundary between private and shared zones. The shelves are the focal point of the bright, open-concept living area, while the zone behind includes the three bedrooms. Inside the primary bedroom, natural light streams in from the living area through a strategic opening above the bookcase.

Modern kitchen with a marble island, built-in stovetop, stainless steel refrigerator, wooden cabinets, and open shelving with books and decor in the background.

Modern kitchen with wood cabinetry, gray marble countertops, stainless steel range hood, built-in appliances, and large sheer white curtains covering windows.

Modern kitchen with wood paneling, gray marble countertops, a black refrigerator, and a pegboard holding scissors, a postcard, and a lemon juicer. Complementing the rigid, rhythmic lines of the bookcase is a curved white wall at the entrance. Lit subtly from a recessed opening along the ceiling, this key design element welcomes visitors and guides them to the private zone, softening the transition from the open living space. The kitchen adjacent to the living area is built from oak to balance the earthy greens of the library. A perforated screen housing kitchen tools, set into the millwork, nods to the bookcase’s orderly grid, while a marble island provides the necessary contrast to separate domestic activities without sacrificing the home’s airy feel.

A partially open white door with a silver handle revealing a room with green walls and wooden floor; a wardrobe with vertical handles is on the left.

Minimalist hallway with white floor-to-ceiling cabinets, long metal handles, a large wall mirror, wooden floor, and natural light from a window with sheer curtains.

A modern bedroom with a wooden headboard, two white pillows, minimalistic artwork, books, and spherical lamps on bedside tables.

A young child in a red and white striped swimsuit stands in a modern shower with arms raised as water falls from an overhead showerhead.

The bookcase itself reads as sculptural line work that wraps the entire wall and corner, with openings that expand and contract between horizontals and verticals to accommodate an ever-evolving collection of objects and homewares. Playful pops of color—the same cool green as the bookcase—bring personality to door trims and furniture, tying it all back to The Green Box. Archiwave Architects have reframed the library not just as an object or backdrop, but as a vessel for everyday living.

To see this and other works by the firm, visit archiwavearchitects.com.

Photography by Piyi Wong.

Bianca Weeko Martin is a writer and researcher weaving together architectural practice with theory and personal narrative. She is the author of the sold out Architectural Guide Manila.

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