Hidden Greek Island home is submerged into the hillside
A summer retreat hidden amongst olive and pine trees is the latest residential addition to the architectural landscape of the island of Paros in Greece, courtesy of Athenian studio Scapearchitecture

Ioanna Roufopoulou - Photography
The sunshade of a small olive grove and a cluster of pine trees with views of the Aegean on a gentle, breezy slope makes for the perfect spot to sit and relax during Greece's many, warm, sunny days. Add to this a sharp piece of contemporary architecture and you get an enviable holiday refuge – this is Scapearchitecture's Secret Garden House.
The retreat, designed by the young and dynamic Athens-based architecture studio, is located in Faragas, on the southwestern part of Paros Island. Building on a site with a considerably angled terrain and strict planning restrictions was a challenge the architects overcame by semi-submerging the house into the slope. This not only makes for a gentle addition to the picturesque environment, but also allows for a strong relationship between the architecture and the outdoors.
The living spaces are arranged in a large, open plan room that contains kitchen, dinning and sitting areas, all orientated towards the magnificent views of the green nature and the blue sea. A pergola extends out protecting this space from the intense summer sun, while adding articulation to what is the building's main facade.
Meanwhile bedrooms, bathrooms and auxiliary rooms are located further into the slope, behind and below the main living areas. This part ‘is accessible from a passageway through the existing olive grove and it is connected with the outdoor living area above through a 2 metre wide stepped ventilation opening,' explain the architects.
Subtle colours and exposed concrete make the house feel at the same time chic and almost cave-like, effortlessly balancing between architecture and landscape, indoors and outdoors. It is ‘a small refuge hidden in a secret garden, where its occupants can relax and find their inner self, enjoying the pure essence of living in the Cycladic islands,' adds the team.
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).
-
This new collectible design gallery is looking to put Vermont on the map
Interior designer and fourth-generation Vermonter Kate Swanson has opened Nurture by Nature, a new gallery celebrating craft in the region
-
Bottega Veneta’s Harrods pop-up is a luxurious ode to ‘intrecciato’, its signature woven leather
Celebrating 50 years of the Italian house’s signature leather-weaving technique, the ephemeral Harrods store arrives just prior to Louise Trotter’s anticipated debut as creative director later this month
-
Our favourite note-taking device just shrank – introducing the reMarkable Paper Pro Move
The new Paper Pro Move doesn’t just scale down the cult e-ink writing device, but it also introduces a host of sharing and editing tools into the reMarkable eco-system
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s favourite July houses
From geometric Japanese cottages to restored modernist masterpieces, these are the best residential projects to have crossed the architecture desk this month
-
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
-
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.
-
Tour House D in Athens, where interiors are peachy keen
Designed by Cometa Architects, House D in Athens is full of curvy, colourful character