Next to the Benaki Museum on Piraeus street, an old cosmetics factory transformed into a beautiful place. Who knows? It could be because of the cosmetics that passed through it. T16 was created for all those who believe that the environment is a decisive factor in how one lives and works. It was created to inspire. It goes well with suits as well as flip–flops: Here the factory–type austerity of industrial design goes hand in hand with luxury.
The smooth, shining, transparent surface of the glass softens the rough, matte, impermeable mass of the concrete. Details of black marble and corian rival with bare metallic pipes and visible cables.
Emblematic furniture designed by great architects, infused with the aura of their creators, awaits the next visitor. Mies van der Rohe has been waiting for those who will sit on the “Barcelona” chairs since 1929, as the kings for whom they were designed never did. Mondrian has been “sitting” on Gerit Rietveld’s “Red and Blue Chair” since 1918. Eero Aarnio has been expanding imagination since 1963 with his “Bubble Chair” and “Ball Chair”. Philippe Starck would dare mess with the “Louis XIV” and fashion it into his “Louis Ghost” armchair.
T16 is the child-like innocence that stays with you: Its mezzanines are a reminder of what it was like hiding on the top cot of a bunk bed or a tree house. The table soccer game, the basketball hoop, the billiard table are an irresistible invitation to play. The bicycles at the entrance are an enticement for a quick exit and ride in the neighbourhood.
T16 loves the city as much as it loves nature. That is why it brings the outdoors indoors: A real olive tree, planted in the Olive Tree Square inside brings the Mediterranean landscape to urban everyday life. As a stroll in the street nicely ends with a stop to a Café, the same thing happens inside T16. An inviting Café is waiting for striking up acquaintances and meetings as well as enjoying food and relaxation. As for those who want to feel on top of the world there is always the penthouse, a fascinating space that is very much like an apartment. An apartment where everyone would like to live in Gazi.