INSIDE MONA ATHENS
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Location: Psirri, Athens
PHILOSOPHY {THE HOUSE OF SHILA}
The House of Shila creates boutique spaces and creative eco-systems with boundless imagination.
We excel at uncovering unique properties and converting them into aesthetically gratifying vessels for transportive, sensory experiences that inspire intimacy.
We care for a personal approach to hospitality that mirrors our philosophy of life and our own aesthetic pleasures, which extend beyond hotel concepts. Our spaces are moulded to accommodate versatile photo and film productions, public and private events, brand activations and pop-up happenings.
Dedicated to all things sensually beautiful, we founded our own design studio (Shila Maison d’Objets), a sales showroom and members’ club to support original talent. Our signature approach is marrying eclectic aesthetics with experiential design.
We act as a catalyst within our international community of creative and business professionals, hand-selecting individuals across all fields, from fashion and gastronomy to design and entrepreneurship. What flows is a springboard for collaborations, partnerships and a new way of synthesising exclusive events.
The opening of our sister site Mona marks our continued commitment to the art of living. We believe simplicity is the ultimate sophistication and reflect this philosophy in everything we do – from our approach to hospitality to how we design spaces and enable ways of being.
All our spaces can host a versatility of uses: pop-ups of creativity, public and private events, brand activations and so much more. The possibilities are endless in the venue we have created.
ABOUT MONA (FROM THE CREATORS OF SHILA)
Located in the heart of downtown Athens, Mona represents a new era for the
concept-led boutique hotel and multi-disciplinary space.
Staged in an eight-story industrial factory from the 1950s, it features 20 characterful rooms, a concept cafe lounge & bar, and a speakeasy basement venue. The building’s highest point is its member exclusive rooftop,
Steeped in the spirit of the city, Mona is a sprawling playground for travellers, artists, emerging and established brands, photo and film productions, pop-up happenings and private events of all visions.
Mona also contains a gallery within its quarters – works of art express themselves throughout its entire quarters organically – which acts as a sales showroom.
DESIGN & AESTHETICS
We designed Mona with great respect for the building’s 1950s architecture. The structure itself remains unchanged, revealing 70 years of history. Emphasis was given to preserving original features, including a bold iron staircase, terrazzo floors, original metal windows, and a marble façade.
This former textile factory, alongside the building’s natural bones (including cement, metal and stone) exude industrial and urban tones, harmoniously balancing the old with the new.
Many of the fixtures and objects you’ll encounter as a visitor, are sustainably created with materials our team found when we first ventured inside Mona. The wooden furniture and fabrics were sourced from Shila Maison D’objets design studio and include sensual velvets and ethereal cottons that create a spatial scenography fit for many a performance.
A certain balance of comfort and drama lies in Mona’s glorious bathrooms that feature in its rooms. Some unfold as entire lounges with low seating pillows and tables, inspiring a sense of tranquillity. The low-laying minimalistic beds and dimly-lit lighting aesthetics contribute to the sensuality of the milieu.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SENSES
What lies deep in the heart of the project is that it is designed to stimulate all the senses. Sight, scent, touch, sound and taste are equally activated.
From the choice of music in the bedrooms and common areas, to the mouthwatering coffee & heather honey from Kimolos island served to guests, to the visual and textural elegance, and the scent of its interiors; Mona is a sensory, sensual and utterly moving journey.
THE ROOMS
20 open plan and generously sized rooms invite you into a world of raw luxury and spacious comfort. With a touch of theatricality, industrial backdrops become sublime alongside original artworks and commissioned furniture.
Designed to make you feel at home and yet in a dream, the rooms range from cosy, to urban (some with patios and balconies), to entire loft apartments with floating day beds, niche areas to work, rest, indulge or romance.
All rooms are lit by vintage custom-made lighting and the natural Athenian
sunshine. The private spaces benefit from original terrazzo floors, lavish bathtubs, ethereal cotton curtains and velvet upholstery, harmoniously balancing the industrial metal finishes and exposed concrete. In addition to hosting lush city stays, rooms can also be hired for private events.
Contributing to this truly immersive experience of the urban landscape are the views – it doesn’t get more Athenian Downtown than this – and there is sense of anarchic beauty in the air, whilst still observing from the interiors of a sensual refuge.
Considering a good night’s sleep as the ultimate sophistication, which should be pursued in all homes, including those of the traveller, the mattresses at Mona are handmade, from natural materials. Different types of mattresses are matched with the rooms’ categories (ranging from firm to soft and from Queen to the Extra King), for guests to have the luxury of choosing what suits their needs best.
Staying at Mona is like going through a journey of curated aesthetics. You’d want to take some of that Mona essence back home with you, and so we ensure all items are available for purchase – from the furniture and organic cotton sheets, to the exotic plants and custom-knit carpets.
THE HOUSE OF SHILA. MEMBERS’ CLUB
In 2021, Shila introduced its first Social Club, via the hotel’s legendary Thursday night gatherings on the rooftop. Shila’s Social Club attracted a following of renowned artists, architects, entrepreneurs, fashion icons and passionate individuals in their own field. An interesting melange of locals, international newcomers, and curious hotel guests that became fanatics of the residence’s understated luxury, entertainment and privacy.
The House of Shila membership has now expanded to Mona, offering the opportunity for both discretion and mingling within both the 1920s townhouse and its urban downtown sister venue.
Aesthetic sociability, deep seated passion, real interpersonal connections and creative communality are at the core of Mona, and members there have exclusive access to all its spaces, including the rooftop restaurant & bar.
All House of Shila members benefit from accessing our events, with the opportunity to reserve a spot to enjoy drinks, dinner, or conduct their own private affair. Members also enjoy discounts for stays, as well as for any purchases of its art and design objects.
Memberships are currently granted by invitation only and applications are accepted here.
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