ANAKTAE’s summer house in the rural valley of Merichas, Kythnos, reinterprets the island’s traditional kalyva. Three modest stone structures, originally built in the late 19th century using dry-stone walling, form a compact ecosystem of living: one for the family, one for animals, one for tools and produce. Vineyards once cultivated the land, grapes pressed in a surviving patitiri, a small wine press. The studio’s intervention is minimal. Dry-stone walls are stabilized, timber frames are added for shade, and native plants are reintroduced. No grid connection exists beyond essentials; water comes from the well, and electricity powers only a fridge. The new composition follows a slope, with terraced and horizontal elements, integrating public and private moments across open and enclosed spaces. Interiors feature ancestral furniture, found objects, stone, lime, and timber. The house offers rhythm, stillness, and connection to the earth. Here, time slows. Silence and light shape daily life. The kalyva remains a lasting memory, a space for living simply, in tune with nature.
ANAKTAE restores a traditional kalyva in Kythnos preserving memory and craft
