A Kythnos Island house offers a 21st-century take on the local vernacular

Piperi is a modern Kythnos Island house that bridges past and future. Created by Berlin-based architect Sigurd Larsen as his own holiday home, the residence draws on its Greek location’s local vernacular and traditions, while being infused with contemporary style and 21st-century mod-cons. 

Piperi: a modern Kythnos Island house

Set on a hillside overlooking the Cycladic archipelago, this Kythnos Island house was composed as a series of cubes in a geometric arrangement. Its volumes are a nod to the traditional Aegean island architecture, which is defined by low, white volumes of minimalist architecture. 

A series of staircases and steps connect the various volumes, bridging levels and indoor and outdoor areas. ‘The white stairs playfully offer a circular movement through all the levels of the house. Inspired by the drawings of M.C. Escher, one can move above, below and through the house in an infinite circle of steps. The cluster of four white cubes is set into the hillside at different heights, creating multiple panoramic views of the neighbouring islands,’ the architect explains. 

Among the elements in view from the home’s expansive terraces is the small, uninhabited Piperi Island which lends the project its name. Larsen ensured the small island is perfectly framed from the main living space and its sofa, seen through a large glass door leading outside. 

The architect adds: ‘The property continues over the ridge of the hill, where a small guest house is built into an existing stone barn with an outdoor kitchen and pergola. During the day, one can migrate from the sunrise in the main house on the eastern cliffs to the sunset at the outdoor kitchen facing the beach on the southwest side.’

Piperi is available for holiday rentals. 

sigurdlarsen.com