Inside Athens with 10AM’s Eva Papadaki

Words Vidula KotianImages Douglas Martin EveleighDate 02 July 2026

Moving between design, storytelling, and material culture, Eva Papadaki's work explores how local traditions can be reinterpreted for today's world without losing their essence.

Eva is the founder of 1OAM, a creative studio based in Athens working across image, space, and production; 1OAM Lofts, a series of spatial projects and living environments; and 1OAM Apotheke, a concept store dedicated to Greek craft, objects, and everyday rituals.. Here, she reflects on Athens as a city of contrasts and continuity—from its layered urban fabric to the rituals, places, and everyday details that shape her personal sense of belonging. Through memories, objects, and neighborhoods, she reveals a more intimate portrait of the city, followed by her personal selection of places to eat, drink, and shop in Athens.

Athens feels like a city in constant reinvention. Where do you feel its creative energy most right now—and which neighborhoods are shaping the conversation?

Right now, I feel it most intensely in Kypseli and Piraeus. Kypseli has become a fascinating meeting point of cultures, ideas, and creative disciplines. Over the past few years, many artists, architects, designers, and creative professionals from abroad have chosen to make Athens their home, creating a dynamic exchange between local and international perspectives.

Piraeus, meanwhile, is undergoing a remarkable transformation, with old warehouses and industrial buildings finding new life as galleries, studios, and cultural spaces. It’s inspiring to see the city build on its existing layers rather than erase them.

Through 10AM apotheke, you work closely with independent producers and makers. What has that taught you about contemporary Greece?

Working closely with independent producers has taught me that contemporary Greece is still deeply connected to its roots. Behind every product is a person, a story, a landscape, and often a family tradition passed down through generations. When I place our beeswax balm on the shelf, I do not just see a product. I think of Kostis in Crete, his smile, his hands, and the place where it was made.

In a world driven by scale and speed, I find it moving that so many people across Greece continue to work with patience, knowledge, and care. Whether they are beekeepers, herbalists, ceramicists, or weavers, they are preserving something meaningful while finding ways to carry it into the present.

What contemporary Greece has taught me is that tradition is not static. It is alive. It evolves, adapts, and continues to inspire new forms of creativity without losing its essence.

What’s a place in Athens you return to when you want perspective, or simply to slow down?

There is a small church by the sea called Agios Nikolaos that I return to often. It is not only the sense of calm that draws me back, but the landscape itself. It reminds me of where I come from. My family home in Crete overlooks the Libyan Sea, and whenever I stand by Agios Nikolaos, looking out toward the horizon, I feel an immediate connection to that memory. The sea, the wind, and the open sky help me reconnect with what feels essential.

Greece has such a deep craft tradition. Is there a material, technique, or local practice that continues to fascinate you?

Traditional weaving continues to fascinate me. One place that has deeply inspired me is the Weaving Museum in Anogia, Crete. What draws me to weaving is not only the technique itself, but the way it carries memory, identity, and stories across generations. Every pattern and every thread reflects a particular place and community.

I am especially fascinated by the traditional Cretan woven bag, the tagari, once an everyday object that is now slowly disappearing. At 1OAM apotheke, we are exploring a collaboration with the museum to revive the tagari in a contemporary way, preserving its cultural significance while giving it a place in modern life.

How would you describe the aesthetic of Athens today?

Athens today feels beautifully unresolved. Ancient marble exists alongside graffiti, modern galleries sit next to family-owned workshops, and brutalist apartment buildings share the same streets as neoclassical houses. It is a city of contrasts that never tries to hide them.

What makes Athens so compelling is that it has not been polished into perfection. Its beauty lies in its layers, imperfections, and the constant dialogue between past and present. There is a rawness to the city that feels increasingly rare.

Where do you go when you want to feel inspired, but not overstimulated?

I usually go to Filopappou Hill early in the morning. The city is still quiet, the light is soft, and there is enough distance to observe Athens without being absorbed by its intensity. It is one of the few places where I can think clearly while still feeling connected to the city. I find that inspiration arrives when there is space for observation. Filopappou offers exactly that—a balance of nature, history, and everyday life.

What object, scent, or flavor immediately brings you back to Athens?

For me, it is the cheese pie from Mam. Ever since I was a child, whenever my parents and I arrived in Athens, our first stop was always the same. We would go straight to Mam for a warm cheese pie. The smell of freshly baked phyllo, caramelized butter, and creamy cheese filling is permanently connected to my memory of the city. Even today, that aroma instantly transports me back to those childhood visits. More than anything else, it represents the Athens I first fell in love with.

What is something Athens understands instinctively that other cities often overlook?

Athens understands that not every moment needs to be productive. People still make time to sit around a table for hours, to have conversations without an agenda, to watch the city move around them, or simply to do nothing at all. There is space for spontaneity and human connection.

In many places, time feels increasingly optimized. Athens resists that. It understands that some of the most meaningful parts of life happen when there is nowhere else you need to be.