Yiannis Ghikas Design

Yiannis Ghikas X Myran
Project assistant: Nikolas Barrera
Porcelain ware handmade in Portugal
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos, Vassilis Karidis, Alina Lefa, Yiannis Ghikas

“Walking the streets of Athens, one will observe that most buildings constructed between 1950 and 1970 are dressed in surfaces of chased cement facing, a technique colloquially known as Artificiel. This “skin” of the city, at places well-preserved, but most often, visibly worn or poorly preserved, caught my attention since quite some time.
The scale of application of this technique in Athenian buildings is so ubiquitous that, if there were one texture to stand as signature feature of the city, it would be the texture of those artificiel. If I had to choose one characteristic trait of Athens to incorporate in my design work, then I would clearly choose artificiel; which is what I did.”

Myran’s words

When Yiannis Ghikas showed us the new project he was working on after coming back from his residency in Arita in Japan, it was love at first sight.
Having worked for two decades with Scandinavian and Japanese Design in Greece, we couldn’t have found a better way of expressing our aesthetic bipolarness than this ceramic celebration of Athens, combining the subtleness of Japanese craft with the gritty of the Athenian facades.

Producer: Miniforms
Photos: Alessandro di Bon
Styling: Laura Pozzi

Soda tables are our latest collaboration with the Italian brand Miniforms, named after one of the three main ingredients of glass, the material out of which the tables are made.

Throughout Soda’s research and design process, we were astounded at the lack of glass-blown products of this size and kind. It was only later that we realized it is because of the technical difficulties inherent in the handling of such an object, as well as the degree of expertise required to do so. An expertise possessed by a handful of highly skilled artisans in the Italian island of Murano.
Among our main objectives was to use one of the most characteristic attributes of glass in our advantage: its transparency. Thus, we designed an object with such a geometry that allows it to play with light and shadow, creating different shapes as one’s perspective changes.

“Soda was born upside-down, with a puff of air. It weighs 20 kilos, and it is blown, drawn out and shaped by three master glassmakers. The result is a single volume of glass with three large petals forming the stem. In Soda, the glass vibrates: its tough, hammered surface fragments its transparency to give a primitive aesthetic. This is artistic value granted to an industrial product.”

Producer: Porventura, Portugal
Material: solid wood in different finishes.
Prototypes (in ash wood natural finish and black stain) were made in Italy by Motterani sedie, in 2018.
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

*Glyph is a stool in solid wood based on a idea initially designed in 2016.
A glyph formed by rounded edges is used to discern all the different parts of the construction and the way they are joined.
The collection can be expanded adding a bench, a coffee table and a side table, bar stool, a sideboard etc.

(*Glyph derives from the Greek word gluphē/γλυφή. Γλυφή is an ornamental groove or channel usually vertical, especially in a Doric frieze)

Material: stoneware
Dimensions: diameter 10,5 cm, height 7,3 cm
Client: Industrial Gas Museum
Manufacturer: Yiannis Fakiolas
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Prototypes of the mutant cups were made by slip-casted amakusa porcelain in cnc milled molds, in Arita Japan during my creative residency the summer of 2018.
Cup no2 and no3 are in production by Arita Marubun, Japan, with pressure casting technique.
Dimensions: 70mm H, 71mm Diam.
Capacity: 200ml aprox.
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Mutant cups is a project based on the same concept of the Mutant vase.

"I was always impressed while watching science fiction movies when a foreign organism or a parasite was moving underneath the skin of a human being altering its smooth surface by its own form. Similar when those artificial metallic blades appearing gradually from Woolverine’s human hands and then disappearing again leaving the hands intact.
These striking movie images I wanted to incorporate discreetly in this specific object adding a “mutation” that gradually appears and disappears disturbing aesthetically its smooth surface."

Material: pressure cast asakusa porcelain
Dimensions: soba choko cup: diameter 8cm, height 7,5 cm, serving dish: diameter 20 cm
Producer: prototype, free for edition
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Ondule, soba choko and serving dish is one of the projects i developed during my Creative in Arita, Japan the summer of 2018.
Soba choko is a cup traditionally used for placing the dipping sauce for the cold soba noodles.
Pressure cast technique was used. The mold was made by cnc milled plaster with the support of the Saga ceramic research center in Arita.

Material: slip cast asakusa porcelain
Producer: prototype, free for edition
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Revolver vases is one of the projects i developed during my Creative in Arita, Japan the summer of 2018. Two molds for the two of the 3 sizes were made and a few pieces of each size were made in different finishes.
In order to use Arita's more characteristic decorating technique, hand decoration with ink that after glazing turns to blue, i asked the skillful craftsmen of Shingama to hand drawn on the vases the pattern i designed and the Revolver deluxe version was born.

Material: slip cast asakusa porcelain
Producer: prototype, free for edition
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Revolver vases is one of the projects i developed during my Creative in Arita, Japan the summer of 2018. Two molds for the two of the 3 sizes were made and a few pieces of each size were made in different finishes.

Material: polished stainless steel
Dimensions: maximum diameter 24 cm, height 22 cm
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos
Producer: Free for edition “Serving, a process of placing food/drink from the one serving to the one being served. Historically, it has underlined social class difference, but has also been the expression of respect, love and care. In our days, it is more linked to the relationship between customer and waiter, an often-uneasy relationship at the expense of the latter. Driven by this relationship the Torus wine bucket was designed with focus on the waiter in a symbolic effort to honor him, offering him a generous 360-degree handle.”

Τhe user catches the object without having to rotate-adjust his hands until he reaches the handles since the handle is one, continuous and runs across the perimeter.

Material: powder coated iron rods, available in 6 RAL colors.
Dimensions: diameter 91 cm, depth 5.5 cm.
Producer: Free for edition

A wavy curved rectangular surface trapped between two circles forms this versatile side table. The surface divides each circle into two yin and yang shaped parts. The shape along with the finish of the metal sheet and the light create an appealing sculptural volume. Material: Metal sheet in different colors and finishes Producer: Free for edition

Material: Oak in diffefent finishes
Dimensions:width 200 mm; length 300 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Bevelled on 5 sides
Right and left pieces
Producer: Menotti spechia

Home is defined as the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. The place that the young child spends almost exclusively the first years of his life. Usually the place that chooses to depict at his first attempts to draw.

A square with a triangle on the top form the iconic shape of what the most of us as children initially and as adults later we recognize as home. This iconic shape is the basic element of the pattern "Home sweet home", the place we all miss when away, and we feel happy to return.

   "Many times, the starting point of my creative process is the intention to design an object/product that incorporates specific values. These values could be aesthetic, functional, conceptual or a blend of them all.
   With this intention occupying my mind for a while, the solution often appears as a vision; like the spontaneous religious epiphanies experienced by people since the dawn of humanity. The only thing I must do next is to determine if the given solution can make it to production.
   Winged vessel is the product of my intention to design a ceramic piece with an unexpected form for this type of material while the form at the same time enriches its functionality.
   By adding “wings” to the lid, the piece changes dramatically visually with the viewing angle. The wings offer a resting surface for the small objects we want to keep on display, in contrast to the ones we keep hidden in the container."

3d printed porcelain
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Client: Sarantis Group, Greece.

Pyrox tray is a mosquito-coil tray.
Our intenton was to deliver an improved and desirable product suitable for the urban environment like terraces and balconies. Dark color was chosen to make the burn stains less visible. A removable fiberglass net makes easier to empty the ashes and clean the tray. The aesthetics is sleek to match the contemporary life in big cities where the outdoor life needs anti-mosquito protection due to high temperatures and humidity.

Photos: Objekten Producer: -2022 Objekten, Belgium, free for edition The Monarchy chair is a stackable chair that completes the collection started with the MONARCHY rocking Stool, offering the same striking graphical presence. Strong and very comfortable, it is suitable for both residential and contract uses. The collection includes also the Monarchy table. All made by High quality solid beech or oak from harvested european forests.

An object inspired by the work of G Design Studio.
Crafted by Giannis Mamoutzis.
Photography: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

*Swee 'pea is a candle holder. It is suitable for both candles and tea lights. Swea 'pea doesn’t shout for attention. It is small, cute with soft, friendly curves, just like the baby found on Popeye's doorstep. It is stackable, ideal for small spaces, coffee shops and restaurants. It comes in different materials, colors and finishes allowing to create different totem like combinations.

Prototype Cnc milled solid brass,copper and aluminium
Brass and copper are mirror polished Aluminium coated with ceracote gun coatings
Photos: 3,4:Giorgos Vitsaropoulos, 1:Nikos Alexopoulos, 2:Dionysis Kouris

*Swee'Pea (alternatively spelled Swee'pea and Sweapea on some titles and once called Sweep Pea) is a character in E.C. Segar's comic strip Thimble Theatre/Popeye and in the cartoon series derived from it. His name refers to the flower known as the Sweet Pea. Before his addition to the animated shorts, the name "Sweet Pea" was a term of affection used by main character Popeye. In the cartoon “We Aim to Please” he addressed girlfriend Olive Oyl that way.
In the comics, Swee'Pea is a baby found on Popeye's doorstep (actually delivered to him in a box) in a 1933 strip. Popeye adopts and raises him as his son, or, as he puts it "boy-kid". Initially, Swee'Pea's speech consisted entirely of the sound "glop". As the years went on, Swee'Pea apparently aged enough to speak normally, and could throw punches if necessary; however, his appearance remained that of a crawling baby.

Everything begins with an idea. An idea that you have to grab it and handle it properly.
Designing our lamp for Creaid’s designers lights project, we started with a bulb, symbol of the genius idea and inspiration and we added a grip. A grip with a pattern, like the ones we find in bicycle grips in order to offer a stable grasp.
All lights will be auctioned online, and will be presented in an exhibition which will take place at One Athens, in April 2016.“Designer Lights” aim to create a playground for the Athens General Children’s Hospital.

Manufacturer, technical advisor, Giorgos Sofos-Gsa Metaltech
Photography: 1-3:Giorgos Vitsaropoulos, 4-5: Nkos Alexopoulos

Base dimensions: Diameter 55 mm, Height 97 mm
Cnc milled solid brass
Textile cable cord
Inline dimmer
E27 bulb, 125mm diameter

Client: Biocidetech
graphic design: Aris Pasouris
Photos: math studio
Copywriter: Sissy Caravia
Mold makers: Agelopoulos Bros
Printing: Lombardias Bros

UK based, startup company, Biocidetech commissioned our studio to design the packaging of their first line of products that will soon be launched under the unexpected name “Sam Loves Betty”.

Biocidetech’s chemical engineer has created a line of bio anti-insect formulas based entirely on natural substances.

According to the brief the packaging should not demonstrate efficacy through toxicity, an approach that is used by all the existing products of this category. “We don’t want the users to keep our products away immediately after they use them considering them as dangerous for themselves”.

We approached the project using a number of design parameters such as form, pattern, color and texture.

The containers are designed in a two-part format. At the upper part are displayed all the visual information, like the logo, the description and the ingredients, all created by graphic designer Aris Pasouris.
Also the relevant insect that each product corresponds to is represented using dots derived from cross-stitched motifs. The user, this way, gets the necessary information about the product avoiding a more realistic and perhaps repulsive image of an insect, a cockroach etc.
At the lower part a floral pattern is placed (reference to the formula’s vegetable derivation), using embossed braille like dots, trying to communicate the familiarity of tradition but also the feeling of a high tech contemporary product.

Handmade silkscreen by Fuzz ink
75% cotton, 25% polyester off white fabric
Available in Green, Brown and Blue
Made in Greece
Self production

Material: Ultra High Performance Concrete
Dimensions: D 43cm, H 40cm
Client: A31 Objects

Triggered by humor, i named this side table after Goliath, the gigantic biblical hero. Despite its small dimensions, Goliath is resilient and robust, like concrete. Hence, a small table with big aspirations.

3d printed prototype

I was always impressed while watching science fiction movies when a foreign organism or a parasite was moving underneath the skin of a human being altering its smooth surface by its own form. Similar when those artificial metallic blades appearing gradually from Woolverine’s human hands and then disappearing again leaving the hands intact.

These striking movie images I wanted to incorporate discreetly in this specific object adding a “mutation” that gradually appears and disappears disturbing aesthetically its smooth surface.

Producer: Convex, Greece
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Different approaches were followed in the design of the door handles for Convex.
One design philosophy centered around a welcoming handle or a handle which looked dramatically different depending on the viewing angle.
Another philosophy focused on the creation of a handle which was reduced to its basic elements, offering a timeless elegance and being well-suited for a diverse range of spaces.
In one case, the design was driven by inspiration; an unusually slim handle which became ergonomically thicker at the point of rotation.
Irrespective of the design philosophy which eventually prevailed, the ultimate goal has always been an elegant and practical product.

Producer: Convex, Greece
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Different approaches were followed in the design of the door handles for Convex.
One design philosophy centered around a welcoming handle or a handle which looked dramatically different depending on the viewing angle.
Another philosophy focused on the creation of a handle which was reduced to its basic elements, offering a timeless elegance and being well-suited for a diverse range of spaces.
In one case, the design was driven by inspiration; an unusually slim handle which became ergonomically thicker at the point of rotation.
Irrespective of the design philosophy which eventually prevailed, the ultimate goal has always been an elegant and practical product.

Project assistant: Giannis Lampropoulos
Prototype
Size: d:40cm, h:43cm
Material: 4mm powder coated metal sheet
Photos: Nikos Alexopoulos

I have always been attracted by magnets. Attempting to use them in my design work has just been a matter of time. Considerations about the harmfulness of magnets in relation to electronic devices and heart pacemakers have been taken into account.

This project is the first evidence of my effort to create a stable structure using the invisible magnetic power as the main way of connection between the different parts of the construction. To create a structure that can be assembled and disassembled without the use of tools. Just the placement of the right parts next to each other, aided by the existence of sockets and projections and of course the magnetic power, is enough to ensure the strength and the stability of the construction.

Further research and experimentation on technical and aesthetical matters like the size and power of the magnets, the size of the structure (height, width etc.), alternative shapes (triangle, rectangle, five sided polygon), the use of different materials and a combination of them can lead to an expanded family of truly versatile products.

Alternatively the same structure can be achieved using maybe less magic and more conventional methods (screws) but eventually resulting exactly the same look and the same characteristics of a product that can be easily assembled and disassembled and shipped occupying the minimum space.

prototype in solid beech wood, Thanassis kalkanis Producer:-2022 bjekten, belgium, free for edition product photos: Julien Renault prototype photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos Under the heat of July in Athens and having a peppermill mechanism on my desk i whispered "O christmas tree" and ...here it is. The "tree" pepper mill is ideal for adding some extra taste to the christmas turkey but apart from that it is a functional object that with its toy-like aesthetics could stay on the dinning table or kitchen's countertop even when Christmas is over..

material: wood, metalic connector
producer: Miniforms, Italy
photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Candy is a wall hanger. It consists of two wooden elements and a specially designed metal joint.
Apart from clothes, Candy is ideal for hanging your helmet, your wide-strapped bag or even use it as a book stand.
What makes Candy special is the purity of its form, the way the light is cast on it, highlighting its three-dimensional character, its generous size, the warmth of its material, as well as the friendly way it touches the objects placed on it.
A single Candy hanger or an arrangement of more can give our wall an aesthetic appeal and at the same time convert it into a functional surface.

Double sided bowl partly lacquered.
Hand-tooled in sustainable Corfiot olivewood
Commissioned by Athenian gallery Skoufa
Made my the traditional artisan Polichronis Koskinas in Corfu

Client: Industrial Gas Museum
Manufacturer: Convex
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

The gas plant of Athens was founded in 1857 in order to meet the city’s need for public lighting and has left its mark on the city’s urban planning and its economic development. It was the first power production unit not just in Athens, but across Greece.

The gas plant provided the city with lighting and power for nearly 130 years. The City of Athens had been receiving complaints about the quality of gas since 1883, and by the ’60’s the factory was running at a very low level, because the type of energy produced was considered to be “obsolete”. In 1984 the factory’s operation was suspended.Almost thirty years after the suspension of its operation, the first industrial museum of Athens – the Industrial Gas Museum – was inaugurated in the factory’s complex of historic buildings, under the auspices of the City of Athens.

On the occasion of the museum’s operation, a gift shop was also opened in its premises. The aim of the gift shop is to support the work of Greek industrial designers, so that they produce their designs within the country, given the strong need for domestic production.

The first industrial designer to get commissioned by the museum was Yiannis Ghikas, who turned to the field of lighting, since the gas plant was mainly founded in order to provide lighting, and to the concept of the “old fashioned” and “obsolete” – characteristics that led to the suspension of the factory’s operation. Yiannis Ghikas designed – what else? – a candle holder, an “old technology” source of light.

Solid silver, platinum plated
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Decorating our body is a primordial human desire. My first attempt to design a ring, an object with a purely decorative purpose, put me in front of a dilemma. A part of me wanted to reduce the form to the basics, as I usually do, whereas another part wanted to create decorative patterns, proper to a purely decorative object.
I decided to merge the two approaches, however conflicting. The decorative pattern is placed on the inside, out of sight, but I know it’s there... Only a small detail is left in full view, hinting its presence to the rest of the world.

Producer: Convex, Greece
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Different approaches were followed in the design of the door handles for Convex.
One design philosophy centered around a welcoming handle or a handle which looked dramatically different depending on the viewing angle.
Another philosophy focused on the creation of a handle which was reduced to its basic elements, offering a timeless elegance and being well-suited for a diverse range of spaces.
In one case, the design was driven by inspiration; an unusually slim handle which became ergonomically thicker at the point of rotation.
Irrespective of the design philosophy which eventually prevailed, the ultimate goal has always been an elegant and practical product.

Producer: Convex, Greece
Photos: Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

Different approaches were followed in the design of the door handles for Convex.
One design philosophy centered around a welcoming handle or a handle which looked dramatically different depending on the viewing angle.
Another philosophy focused on the creation of a handle which was reduced to its basic elements, offering a timeless elegance and being well-suited for a diverse range of spaces.
In one case, the design was driven by inspiration; an unusually slim handle which became ergonomically thicker at the point of rotation.
Irrespective of the design philosophy which eventually prevailed, the ultimate goal has always been an elegant and practical product.

Prototype , developed in collaboration with Riche, Greece
Technical advisor: Panos Konandreas
Material: powder coated metal
Lighting source: 3 energy saver bulbs
Photos: Nikos Alexopoulos

Once upon a time there was a lamp called Ordinary. One day, it contracted a parasite that began leaching light, sending it to places that Ordinary couldn't even imagine.
Since that day, Ordinary and its parasite friend lived happily ever after.

Producer: Miniforms, Italy
Photos: Miniforms

Nous 4M - oversaw fabrication and production and co-fabricated with Robert Crane of 3DD fabrication
Bryan Oknyansky - Nous 4M technician
Justin Goodyear - Nous 4M technician
Gregory Epps - Nous 4M technician
Producer: Miniforms
Photos: Nikos Alexopoulos

"To trust and to be trusted, to support and to be supported, creating a seemingly fragile but yet viable state of equilibrium."
The coat hanger “Game of trust” consists of three identical Y-shaped elements. Each one supports and at the same time is supported by one of the others, resulting in an embrace that transforms the units into a unity.
Game of trust demands accuracy of construction, excellent quality of materials and the right people that can deal with both. It is made of solid wood in natural finish or lacquered in different colors combinations, modular. It is easy to assemble and disassemble, easy to pack carry.

Red dot design award winner 2009
German design award 2016
Prototypes: Alexis Mariolopoulos
Photos: 1-5 Dionysis Kouris, 6-10 Julien Renault
Producer: 2010-2013 Feld, 2013-2022 Objekten, Belgium, Now free for edition

Monarchy is a stool, it is a rocking stool.
It rocks sideways and it rocks back and forth. Monarchy also swivels.
Monarchy is designed not to be overturned but at the same time allows the user to escape the dullness of the ultimate stability.

The Monarchy Stool is so-named because, apart from the fact that it has a crown-like shape, it has been designed so that it is difficult to tip over. As a regime, a monarchy enforces stability. The Monarchy Stool , however, allows the user to escape the dullness of ultimate stability – an intentional contradiction.
The Monarchy Stool is a convenient for occasional sitting or simply when an extra seat is needed. Its design aims to offer freedom of movement. You can change your orientation with a push of your legs. Reaching out for nearby objects is easily done by bending over and shifting your weight. Furthermore, and most importantly, the stool has the capacity to satisfy your body’s inherent expressional needs while being seated.
The balancing process creates a playful userobject relationship. The stool explores the idea that when seated, many people feel the need to be free from enforced bodily positions. Instructions of the use of The Monarchy Stool are completely useless as the body will become tuned to the stool on a subconscious level – as though the stool is an extension of the body. Although it can be used in a number of contexts, the designer does not recommend the use of The Monarchy Stool for changing light bulbs!

Prototype: Ieronimakis Inox
Material: 4mm metal sheet
Photos: Dionysis Kouris

Prototype: Ieronimakis Inox
Material: 4mm metal sheet
Photos: Dionysis Kouris

Prototypes made by Bosa, Italy
HANDLED WITH CARE, exhibition of contemporary ceramic works, curated by designboom
19-23/9/2007 at designersblock, London, UK

Peel bottles is a line of ceramics in different stages of "peeling".The peeling may start from top to bottom or even reciprocally.

There is a difference in texture and shape between the rind and the internal layer. Usually the exterior surface, the first one someone pays attention to, is smoother and more pleasing to the eye, while sometimes the reverse can happen…

Meat pounder, prototype
3d print in ABS plastic then casted in bronze, lost wax method
GOOOOOD FOOD, exhibition
Photos: Dionysis Kouris
Bienalle Internationale du Design 2006
Saint Etienne, France

Ask me what a joysteak is and I'll tell you it's a kitchen utensil. It is a meat pounder for steaks.
In reality, however, I hope it is something more than that. I hope it is also an an allusion... An allusive comment on the addiction to new technologies, and especially to the part relating to entertainment, an allusive comment on the "damaging" effects that addiction may have, lastly an allusive comment on all those who, like myself, are highly concerned seeing themselves as they become addicted, and mainly to all those who become addicted without being concerned about it...

Prototype Rapid prototype in ABS plastic then resin casted in silicon mold Photos: Dionysis Kouris I thought that a container destined to hold fruit must primarily be capable of maintaining its contents intact for as long a time as possible. I have also taken into account that fruit first rot at the points of contact with other fruit and with the container holding them. Fruit also rot faster when not well aerated. Therefore, the Waffle has been designed, on the one hand, to allow the free circulation of air around the fruit and, on the other hand, to minimize the area of contact between the fruit and the container. Furthermore, the size of the Waffle is suitable to hold a satisfactory quantity of fruit without being squeezed against one another or stacked on top of one another. If you have already thought that the Waffle is not suitable for small fruit such as cherries, strawberries, etc., you are right. But then such fruit are usually kept in the fridge.