The dinner table has always held a special significance in our social and cultural life. It’s where we gather to exchange news, thoughts, and emotions with friends and family; a place where, amidst laughter and conversation, bonds are strengthened over good food and shared experiences. It is this concept of the dinner table as a nexus of togetherness that lies at the heart of the Greek tableware brand Crini & Sophia whose mission is to make it a more convivial and stimulating place to gather around. Boasting vibrant florals and tradition-inspired patterns alongside a vibrant colour palette, the brand celebrates the art of hosting through the exuberant aesthetic of Maya Zafeiropoulou-Martinou, who launched the brand last year spurred by her love for gathering the family around the table—hence its name, which comes from her three daughters, Christina, Irini and Sophia. With a background in set and interior design, it wasn’t long before Maya’s creativity was channelled into the opening of the brand’s first physical store in Athens. Located in the chic neighbourhood of Kolonaki, Crini & Sophia’s showroom is a gem of a space where art and design are seamlessly intertwined.

Having been raised in an art and design-minded household in Greece, Maya has been passionate about crafting beautiful settings for as long as she can remember. Her passion led her to New York, where, after studying set design and political science at Columbia University, she honed her creative skills working with legendary theatre director Robert Wilson, architect Sam Trimble, and creative director and producer Alexandre de Betak, a trailblazer in the fashion industry known for his innovative, multi-sensory runway shows for brands like Dior, Hussein Chalayan, and Viktor & Rolf. From fashion shows in New York and Paris to set designs for the Metropolitan Opera and photoshoots for Vanity Fair, the kaleidoscopic range of productions Maya participated in during her nine-year stay in New York provided a masterclass in versatility and creativity across diverse artistic disciplines which she now channels in Crini & Sophia’s collections.

Starting with a range of linen tablecloths, napkins and placemats, which incidentally is the most environmentally friendly fabric, the brand has gradually expanded its offerings to include handcrafted porcelain and ceramic plates, along with handblown glassware created in collaboration with artisans from Greece and abroad. A reflection of Maya’s exuberant aesthetic, the brand’s collections are characterised by vivid colours and exquisite craftsmanship inspired by her travels and interest in Greece’s traditional crafts.

Dots, a ceramic tableware series whose pointillistic design channels the graphic panache of Yayoi Kusama’s dot paintings, and Caviar, a series of porcelain plates and bowls inspired by Greece’s pebbly beaches, is the work of New York-based sculptor Lana Kova. Ceramist and founder of the non-profit art organization Arch Athens, Atalanti Martinou, also created two collections, Flowers a range of monochromatic ceramic plates in green, blue and Bordeaux-red, and a series of hand-painted ceramic plates inspired by plants and leaves, including mushrooms found on Greek mountains.

A collection of embroidered, colourful napkins created in collaboration with the Benaki Museum/Mentis – Antonopoulos (‘NEMA’) Passementerie, a rare example of a surviving passementerie manufacturer, reflects the brand’s focus on traditional crafts, as does a series of handblown glassware manufactured by Laguna~B, a Venice-based company that combines traditional Murano techniques with an innovative, pop aesthetic approach.

Inspired by the blue hues of the Aegean Sea, the brand’s latest collection, created for Moda Operandi, features transparent Murano glass plates, tumblers, and wine glasses animated by swirling blue lines. Like most of Crini & Sophia’s collections, the tableware is accompanied by matching linens, for this collection they are swathed in bold geometric patterns in cobalt blue and turquoise hues. Colour is also at the heart of the upcoming Harvest Bloom collection for Cabana, which will make its debut in the Italian homeware brand’s new Milanese store in September. Dominated by red hues with golden and green accents, the collection pays homage to the enchanting beauty of Greek spring meadows, featuring a profusion of hand-stamped, embroidered, and hand-painted poppies.

For the brand’s first store in Athens, which opened its doors last December, Maya collaborated with architects Katerina Kourkoula and Hannes Livers Gutberlet of En Route Architecture, enveloping the compact space with warm-toned wood panelling, and green and red marble. Exquisitely crafted details such as the wood and cane movable panels populating a faceted display wall and the lily pad-shaped marble inlay on the floor add to the store’s sense of artistic refinement, as do a series of bespoke contributions by three creatives close to Maya’s heart.

Acclaimed modernist artist Eleni Vernadaki, who over the past 60 years has been energizing ceramic art in Greece with her groundbreaking oeuvre, designed the impressive table-sculpture at the heart of the store. Painted black and featuring fluted supports, the metallic structure seems to float above the marble flooring thanks to its slender silhouette. At the back of the space, a large sculptural installation by artist Socratis Socratous looms enchantingly. Inspired by the Amazon rainforest, the life-like tropical flowers and vegetation are incredibly crafted out of metal and painted with car paints. Lastly, the lithe silhouette and geometric purity of Michael Anastassiades’ two bespoke light pendants further underscore the scheme’s masterful marriage of art and design as well as amplify the store’s understated gracefulness.

Independently conceived, the striking artefacts of Anastassiades, Socratous and Vernadaki (the latter also designed the square, face-shaped bronze doorknob that greets visitors) nevertheless complement each other, echoing the playful geometries, organic shapes, and floral motifs that dominate the brand’s collections. A firm believer in the power of creativity to transform any setting, Maya’s curatorial approach has succeeded in transposing the exuberant flair at the heart of Crini & Sophia’s ethos into the store’s artful interior.

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Crini & SophiaCharitos 9, Athens, Greece 10675