Villa Dione in Kefalonia by L-Architects

The holiday house in Kefallonia, designed by L-Architects, is part of a vacation residential development on a hilltop overlooking the Ionian Sea. The design brings the gentle gradations of the sloping ground to the interior, securing unobstructed sea views from all spaces.

The house includes a sleeping area, bathroom, living room and kitchen, in a single, integrated space. The layout is shaped in an irregular cross, creating outdoor corners, leading to the entrance.

The perpendicular cross line, following the ground inclination, accommodates the bed, raised on a platform; in front, a sunken lounge area leaves the view to the swimming pool and the sea uninterrupted, through a large opening. The horizontal one, parallel to the contour lines of the terrain, includes a bathroom featuring a recess on the floor for bathing, and the kitchen is positioned on the opposite end; the latter amplifies its perspective depth through an opening that overlooks the sheltered outdoor dining area. The only internal partition is see-through, in a triangular-shaped pattern of ceramic tiles; it discreetly separates the sleeping area from the bathroom, without interrupting the visual continuity of the integrated space. The swimming pool lies in front of large openings, with the panoramic vista of the sea in the background; its edge is technically seamless, giving the impression that the water surface is continuous with the floor.

The interior is dominated by pressed cement facing on large horizontal and vertical surfaces; its color matches the off-white clay soil of the site. The restrained, monochromatic palette allows carefully selected pieces of furniture to stand out in their sculptural forms and dark shades, making an impact that adds intensity to the space. The center stage is taken by the sea view panorama, available through strategically located large openings. The same feel of freedom is elaborated in the visual relations established in the interior, through discreet yet powerful gestures in the spatial distribution.