Located in the thick of the Cyclades, Syros ticks all the boxes of a Greek island – the gorgeous flat waters of the Aegean, postcard perfect tableaus of little towns that cling to slopes, bijou bays and a wild sparse interior that’s changed little since the days of Homer. And in a picturesque spot in Delphini, in Syros’s northwest, the Thessaloniki-based Katerina Tsigarida Architects have built a complex of low-slung residential villas for a London-based Greek family that has familial and business (textiles and shipping) ties with the island.
The complex – comprising five buildings that house living, dining and bedrooms, and a studio – is sited on the edge of a bay that overlooks a small deserted island. The orientation is subtly ingenious: the axis of each building catches an edge of the bay, while the axes of the intervening courtyards point directly to the island. Getting the orientation right, say the architects, was probably the most challenging part of the project. The results, though, were worth the effort – the spaces offer both natural ventilation and light, and protection from the strong coastal winds.
The architects say the complex is inspired by ‘the vision of the primitive hut, of man's longing to go back to the essential, and by the ideal of continuity through landscape and memory’. In particular, the silhouettes echo the monolithic stone shapes that can still be found on Syros.
Certainly, this imprimatur of a distant past is reflected in the choice of materials – local stone drives the impression that the buildings emerge from the very earth, whilst a palette of timber ceiling beams, floors of polished cement embedded with grey and black sandstones feels exactly right for the site. For the interiors, a mix of untreated plaster, wooden doors and windows, alongside bespoke wood, concrete and raw aluminium furniture, all add to a pleasing mod-rustic mood.
Orientation was key to the design. All buildings catch an edge of the bay, while the axes of the intervening courtyards point directly to the island
Local stone exteriors drive the impression that the buildings emerge from the earth
The design was inspired by the primitive hut, explain the architects, and a longing for simplicity and going back to basics
The careful arrangement of the different volumes ensures natural ventilation and light, as well as protection from the strong coastal winds
The material palette includes timber ceiling beams and floors of polished cement embedded with grey and black sandstones
Aligned to Tsigarida’s vision for a simple retreat, the design is dominated by a modern-rustic aesthetic
INFORMATION
For more information visit the architect’s website
Photography: Yiorgis Yerolymbos
-
America’s first all-electric travel trailer broadens its range with two new modelsThe Lightship AE.1 Atmos and Panos are the two newest trim lines for this ground-breaking streamlined travel trailer, an airy design with integrated electric powertrain for added mileage and quiet camping
-
Step inside Acne Studios’ pink-hued Tokyo flagshipAcne Studios contrasts sharp minimalism with soft touches at its playful new Tokyo flagship, designed in collaboration with Swedish studio Halleroed
-
At Rubra, thrilling tropical cuisine comes courtesy of the youngest World’s Best Female ChefAt chef Daniela Soto-Innes’ exceptional restaurant in Mexico’s Punta de Mita, the cooking is as ambitious as the view
-
The Monthly Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s favourite July housesFrom geometric Japanese cottages to restored modernist masterpieces, these are the best residential projects to have crossed the architecture desk this month
-
A new Athens gallery is a celebration of old and new, a stone's throw from the AcropolisNew Athens gallery Melas Martinos by Local Local is a contemporary art space, a stone's throw from the Acropolis, in the Greek capital's Monastiraki neighbourhood
-
A clifftop Rethymno house tells a story, framing views as far as the Libyan SeaThis house in the Rethymno region of Crete, designed by architects Gkotsis Serafimidou, is rich in local and natural materials – an oasis at which to disconnect
-
A retro video game is the unlikely inspiration for this island house in GreeceDesigned by ARP, this island house on Antiparos is a contemporary Cycladic home inspired by Tetris
-
A Costa Navarino house peeks out from amidst olive groves to ocean viewsThis Greek holiday residence designed by K-Studio balances timeless design principles with modernist touches
-
A breezy Greek island retreat lets the outdoors inOpen to the elements, an island retreat in Corfu by Invisible Studio was designed to suit the local climate, using metal mesh screens rather than windows
-
A Corfu house balances local vernacular and 21st-century minimalismCorfu House, a sensitive and minimalist holiday home, has been recently completed on the Greek island as a collaboration between architects Tony Wynbourne, Georgios Apostolopoulos and engineer Makis Gisdakis
-
Piraeus Tower is a Greek high-rise icon revived through sustainable strategiesThe restoration of the Piraeus Tower is completed in Greece, revealing a revived façade by local architecture studio PILA
