Hōkō Athens: Where Wood, Plants, and Time Meet

Hōkō Athens is a design project rooted in woodcraft and indoor plants. Meet Silvia Gudina and Stefanos Lagos, discover their minimalist propagation stations, and explore their community workshops in Kypseli

The story of Hōkō Athens doesn’t begin with a business plan, but with a human need: a need for survival, for creation, for closeness to nature and, ultimately, for roots.

Silvia Gudina was born and raised in Gorizia, in northeastern Italy, near the Slovenian border. A lush, green landscape, worlds away from Athens. For years she worked as a fashion designer, living a life of constant movement, with contracts lasting only a few months at a time in different countries. There was no stability and certainly no space to grow plants.

Then the pandemic changed everything. With no work, plenty of time, and very little money, Silvia began doing something simple: propagating plants from cuttings, collecting small branches from friends, neighbours, and family. Not because it was trendy, but because it was necessary so she could be surrounded by greenery without having to buy it.

During the same period, her partner Stefanos Lagos from Greece began working at a woodworking workshop in Athens, learning the craft of wood. And there, almost naturally, the idea took shape: the plants that had been living in improvised jars and bottles could finally have a more beautiful, functional, and meaningful “home”.

The very first object what would later become Hōkō’s first propagation station was created from leftover pieces of wood. Friends started noticing it, asking for it, loving it. And very quickly, the two of them realised that what they were creating had real potential.

What is Hōkō and what does its name mean?

Hōkō is a design project focused on wood and indoor plants, built around propagation stations, objects that “host” the process of multiplying plants through cuttings, bringing an ancient form of knowledge into the present.

Their aesthetic is minimal, with clear references to Japanese and Scandinavian interior design, as well as a subtle mid-century sensibility.

Their choice of material is far from accidental. They mainly use pine, a fast-growing type of wood, while avoiding rare or “precious” woods. Whenever possible, they work with upcycled materials, while every stage of production is carried out by the founders themselves: from design to packaging.

The name comes from Japan’s Shinto tradition. Hōkō is a mythical creature said to inhabit centuries-old trees, a symbolic figure tied to the protection of nature. The idea that cutting down an old tree could mean destroying the “home” of a spirit resonated deeply with Silvia: the name is simple and memorable, yet profoundly connected to wood, memory, and respect.

Community, collaborations, and Kypseli

From the very beginning, the Hōkō project was embraced by the local community. That bond continues today through collaborations with emerging artists (in the image below a collaboration with cacttone and Katerina Chrysolie) who paint on the wooden objects, as well as through public workshops and open activities.

In Kypseli, the neighbourhood where they live and work, Silvia and Stefanos organise free plant propagation workshops once a month at the Municipal Market, along with woodworking classes using hand tools. The goal is to create a collective space of learning, where people not only gain skills, but continue making their own objects.

At the same time, Silvia is actively involved in the initiative Green Kypseli, which aims to create a community garden and support greener practices in a city that -she points out- often lacks shared green spaces.

Life in Athens

Athens feels nothing like the place where she grew up. And yet, here Silvia believes ideas can truly bloom. She loves the city’s energy, the presence of young people and creatives, and the feeling that even the simplest idea can succeed if you believe in it, work hard, and give it your all.

In her free time, she chooses nature: hiking on Mount Parnitha, cycling from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center down towards the coast, visiting museums especially the Ghika Gallery (at Benaki Museum), for its quietness and sense of focus.

Hōkō offers something slower, more meaningful: a way of living with objects that grow and change over time just like the people who create them.