Voukenas Petrides
Voukenas Petrides is a collaborative design studio founded in 2017 by Greek designer Andreas Voukenas and American architect Steve Petrides.The duo create unique and limited-edition pieces that seamlessly blend artisanal craftsmanship with architectural precision. The works, crafted with materials such as bronze, aluminium, stone, and plaster, embody a thoughtful exploration of materiality, light, and space.
Central to their process is the interplay of plaster and woven wire mesh, used to construct sculptural shapes.They work with Gypsum plaster, a traditional Greek material with a rich history, revered from antiquity to the works of 20th-century masters such as Brancusi, Picasso, Giacometti, and Moore.Wire mesh, with its flexible properties, enables the crafting of forms, and is frozen and refined through layers of plaster. For pieces cast in the foundry, these sculptural forms serve as the foundation for the molds.
The studio’s journey is intertwined with the designers’ personal stories. Although the designers first met in 2014, it was Petrides’ move to Athens in 2015 – coincidentally the same city his grandfather had fled a century earlier – that marked a turning point in their collaboration.Their shared workspace became a hub of creativity, where Voukenas crafted furniture and Petrides pursued an artistic sculptural practice; their individual skills influencing and elevating one another’s work. Since 2017, their collaboration has evolved, merging their distinct talents to create works that are both deeply personal and artistically compelling.
Additional notable projects in their portfolio include a 23 metre long sculptural bar in bronze for Delta Restaurant in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre in Athens.With a continuous, fluid form incorporating recesses for seating and bar work, this work showcases the designers’ ability to blend functionality with artistic expression. Additionally, the duo took part in a month- long residency in Hudson, New York, creating steel welded wire mesh structures, subsequently presented at The Gilded Owl in Cathedral City, California.
Works by Voukenas Petrides have been placed in prestigious commercial and residential collections curated by internationally acclaimed architects and interior designers such as Peter Marino, Nicole Hollis, Aline Asmar d’Amman and Julie Hillman.Their work has been showcased by Gallery FUMI in leading international art fairs and exhibitions, including a major solo presentation in the gallery’s main space, titled Haptic Nature, in 2022, and have been featured in notable publications including Numéro, Financial Times HTSI, Wallpaper*, Architectural Digest and Elle Decor.
Living and working between New York and Athens, Voukenas Petrides continue to evolve their creative practice, exploring new ideas and refining their vision.Their bold and poetic approach has established them as prominent voices in contemporary design.
