Architect Niki Ainatzi & interior designer Iosif Vasilodimitrakis transformed a historic building, dating back from the 16th century and located in the center of Chania’s old town, into Malmo Historic Hotel, a place that transcends the conventional accommodation experience being an ode to education, history, and culture.
-text by the authors
Having survived more than five centuries, this building is a manifestation of adaptability and resilience. At the same time, some of the most significant personalities of Greek and Cretan history have been inside this building, to stay, work, or to visit it.
Malmo Historic Hotel is located at the center of the Chania old town, in the Venetian district of Ponte dei Viari. The hotel probably was part of the Latin monastery ‘Santa Maria della Misericordia’ of the Order of the Augustinian Recollects, which was built around the mid of the 16th century. After the city was occupied by the Ottomans in 1645, the building was turned into mansions and remained as such till the first decades of the 20th century, by which point the building had added one more identity to its history by becoming a library.
From the 50′s, the building was used as a library, known to the locals as the ‘Malmios Library’, founded by Antonio Malmo, a man with a deep love for books and arts. In 2007 a fire destroyed the wooden interior of the building but the main structure was saved without significant damages. It was not before 2019 that the restoration process started, leading to the building of today.
The building of Malmo Historic Hotel is one of the local landmarks and aspires to be a source of inspiration to its guests, with its high-end restoration which is preserving its historical glory and highlights its identity as a cultural palimpsest.
A grand journey in time is condensed in a series of seven suites, each one of which has been named after historical monuments and landmarks of the city as well as the history of the building itself, creating an unwritten script of cultural value. The traditional yet distinctive architecture of the building stands out in Chatzimichali Ntaliani, one of the city’s most vibrant alleys. The arch that connects the two parts of the building, and on which one of the rooms stands, is a powerful architectural element that actively contributes to the street’s traditional atmosphere.
This arch, along with several others that are embellishing the building’s interior, is a defining aspect of Venetian architecture which inspired the restoration, as well as the interior decoration to create a unique journey in time that unravels the building’s rich history.
Facts & Credits
Project title Malmo Historic Hotel
Typology Restoration, renovation, interiors
Restoration architect Niki Ainatzi
Interior designer Iosif Vasilodimitrakis
Supervising engineer Likourgos Kalogerakis
Photography George Anastasakis
Η αρχιτέκτονας Νίκη Αινατζή και ο interior designer Ιωσήφ Βασιλοδημητράκης μετέτρεψαν την πρώην Μάλμειο Βιβλιοθήκη, ένα θρυλικό κτήριο ιστορίας 5 αιώνων στη καρδιά της παλιάς πόλης Χανίων στη Κρήτη, στο Malmo Historic Hotel, έναν προορισμό που ξεπερνά τη συμβατική εμπειρία διαμονής αποτελώντας ωδή στην εκπαίδευση, την ιστορία και τον πολιτισμό.
-κείμενο από τους δημιουργούς
Το κτίριο του Malmo Historic Hotel αποτελεί ένα τοπόσημο για την πόλη των Χανίων και φιλοδοξεί να αποτελέσει πηγή έμπνευσης για τους επισκέπτες του, με την υψηλών προδιαγραφών ανακαίνισή του, που κατάφερε να διατηρήσει την ιστορική του αξία και να αναδείξει την ταυτότητά του ως πολιτιστικού παλίμψηστου.
Πιο συγκεκριμένα, η καμάρα που συνδέει τα δύο μέρη του κτιρίου, και η οποία φιλοξενεί ένα από τα δωμάτια, είναι ένα ισχυρό αρχιτεκτονικό στοιχείο που συμβάλλει ενεργά στην παραδοσιακή ατμόσφαιρα του δρόμου.
Τίτλος έργου Malmo Historic Hotel
Τυπολογία Αποκατάσταση, ανακαίνιση, εσωτερική διακόσμηση
Αρχιτεκτονική μελέτη Νίκη Αινατζή
Εσωτερική διακόσμηση Ιωσήφ Βασιλοδημητράκης
Επιβλέπων μηχανικός Λυκούργος Καλογεράκης
Φωτογραφία Γιώργος Αναστασάκης
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