Industrial designer Karim Rashid was commissioned by Dakis Joannou to design and create Athens' first visionary design hotel.

Rashid has executed his career in reverse. Rashid made his name with a $4.99 plastic bin. It was called The Garbo and since it appeared in shops in 1999, three million people have bought it. Over the past decade, he has produced perfume bottles (Issey Miyake), light fixtures, furniture (Oh Chair), vases, mouse pads, soap dishes, salad servers, lighters, kettles, coat hangers, and coffee cups.

Rashid's design philosophy stems from a refusal to accept the day-to-day environment with a belief that there is always room for improvement and the updating of design. Karim Rashid Inc. projects include furniture, installations, lighting and product designs for clients, gallery shows, exhibitions, and museums.

His client list spans the designer goods globe from Armani, Prada, and Ralph Lauren to Sony, Zanotta, and Villeroy & Boch. He has contributed to a number of design books including his own, published in 2001, called Karim Rashid: I Want to Change the World.