An island retreat by Kokosalaki Architecture interprets Cretan vernacular design
This ‘simple, distinguished and very proud' house in the Cretan mountains is a Greek holiday home rooted in its context and designed by the Athens based architecture studio of Natalia Kokosalaki

When a French couple decided to build their holiday home in Crete, some 500 metres from the village of Roustika, they turned to Athens based architect Natalia Kokosalaki for help.
Sat at the foot of the Lefka Ori Mountains, among idyllic olive groves, vineyards and herb bushes, the site had a lot to offer. Part of the clients' brief was for the design to respect this Cretan environment and ‘stand the test of time', explains the architect. Kokosalaki responded with flair, composing a complex that feels modern, but is also rooted to the local vernacular and the island's tradition.
‘At first we wrote a brief as if it was a first page of a summer novel, narrating a summer day in this imaginary Cretan house and its rural environment,' she says. ‘Simultaneously, it describes different areas of the house and the surrounding large garden and how could be enjoyed by the inhabitants on different hours of the day.'
A large arched entrance leads to an enclosed courtyard, in turn guiding the visitor to the generous, open plan living areas on the ground level – or a guest suite off the main house. Upstairs are a further four bedrooms.
Thick stone walls transform into staircases, terraces, an outdoor shower area and seating, while clean overall lines and the use of local materials (such as stone and ochre plaster) enhance the house's connection to the landscape around it. This was conceived as a calming, tactile environment, designed for rest and contemplation.
‘We wanted to create a typically Cretan dwelling: simple, distinguished and very proud,' says Kokosalaki. The house does not disappoint; it is a structure that feels contemporary but is also inherently of its place, nestled gently in its Greek countryside locale.
The exterior of the kokosalaki roustika house featuring tall arch entrance way, brown wood windows and doors and an outdoor swimming pool
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Goldwin 0’s first-ever performance wear is body-mapped to keep you cool
The ‘Performance Capsule’ from Goldwin 0 – an experimental offshoot of Japanese technical wear label Goldwin – draws inspiration from trail running for its meticulously tested sportswear, which uses experimental ventilation techniques to help you work out in the heat
-
Shop the gloriously mad inner workings of Gary Card’s brain in London’s Soho
Set designer and artist Gary Card has taken over London's Plaster Store – expect chaos and some really good accessories
-
Venerable British car-maker AC goes OTT with the high-output, low-slung AC GT SuperSport
Pitched at all-American fans of the original AC Cobra, the GT SuperSport is a fearsome two-seat roadster with more muscle than ever before
-
A new Athens gallery is a celebration of old and new, a stone's throw from the Acropolis
New 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 Sea
This 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 Greece
Designed 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 views
This Greek holiday residence designed by K-Studio balances timeless design principles with modernist touches
-
A breezy Greek island retreat lets the outdoors in
Open 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 minimalism
Corfu 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 strategies
The 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-pioneer
Back in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.