‘How can we create a house on a rooftop whilst maintaining the site's rooftop feel?' wondered Athens and Stockholm based architects Maria Papafigou and Johan Annerhed, when their studio, OOAK, was invited to design a new residential project on the relatively remote Greek island of Karpathos.
The firm, which had completed a striking house in Karpathos in 2019, was already familiar with the local geography and the region's picturesque architecture, and sought to combine that with their own contemporary aesthetic, while creating a building that felt new, but also ‘of its place'. Bringing a new set of challenges, this latest commission was in a completely different setting than their earliest work (a concrete holiday home on Afiarti beach), set in the village of Diafani in the island's north.
The site was key to the design concept. The lot was situated partially on the rooftop of an existing building, in line with the island's signature stepped villages and practice of shared roofs and terraces. ‘So our primary design goal was to maintain the outdoor rooftop feeling of the site, while creating a house around it,' say the architects.
RELATED STORY
In order to create some privacy for the owners, while keeping the space open to the outdoors, the team designed a perimeter wall, embracing the main living spaces; these are composed of an open plan sitting, kitchen and dinning area, which spills out to a generous terrace with a sun deck and swimming pool. A large, 13.8m opening connects effortlessly the two parts, inside and outside. Above this, an enclosed volume, which references the local vernacular architecture in its design (in particular the window shutters and metal work), contains the more private spaces. While the views are central to the design, anchoring it in its place through carefully framed vistas towards the sea and the surrounding buildings, the architects worked with a variety of textures and colours in the interiors, to ‘accentuate and enrich this experience', they explain. As a result, the spaces inside feel modern, but also distinctly welcoming and tactile, making this holiday home an ideal place to sit back and unwind.
INFORMATION
-
‘I’ve considered every single detail’: how Victoria Beckham designed the perfect make-up brush collectionVictoria Beckham speaks to Wallpaper* about the meticulous design process behind her debut collection of make-up brushes, which perfectly treads a line between form and function
-
Can Maserati modernise or is the sun setting on one of Italy’s most beloved automotive brands?Maserati’s GranTurismo Folgore is an epic electric grand tourer without equal. If only its traditionalist customers wanted it more
-
Viviane Sassen considers fine art, fashion photography and fragility in ItalyViviane Sassen’s exhibition, 'This Body Made of Stardus' at Collezione Maramotti, spans two decades off Sassen's career
-
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
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneerBack in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
-
Tour House D in Athens, where interiors are peachy keenDesigned by Cometa Architects, House D in Athens is full of curvy, colourful character
-
Sun-drenched Los Angeles houses: modernism to minimalismFrom modernist residences to riveting renovations and new-build contemporary homes, we tour some of the finest Los Angeles houses under the Californian sun
