Designing a fishmonger’s shop was a first for our studio. It was an interesting challenge, given that fishmonger’s shops are not usually based on a particular design concept. Instead, they are simply equipped with stalls and refrigeration units that are placed against walls tiled in blue and white.

The deliberate spelling mistake in the shop’s name in Greek was the first step in setting a playful tone. Wishing that ‘psaras’ (fishmonger) be a pleasant surprise to the square and the entire Vatikiotis market, the playful mood continues with the choice of paint colours and ceramic tiles cladding the walls and  floors.

Higher overhead, a school of small and large fish swim their way from the pedestrian Bagdamali street into the store immersed in a dark grey-green sea before reaching Mitropolitou Gennadiou street.

The same school of fish is also painted on the roller shutter of the shop, adding to the overall exuberance created by the variety of other graffiti present on the shutters and walls of the nearby shops.