The Greek Foundation
  • Architecture
  • Interiors
  • Design
  • Art
  • Fashion
  • Travel
  • Graphic Design
  • Gastronomy
  • Photography
  • Interviews
  • Visits
  • All Stories
  • Shop
  • About
  • Submit
  • Creatives
  • Stockists
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Spotify
The Greek Foundation
0 Shop
The Greek Foundation
  • Architecture
  • Interiors
  • Design
  • Art
  • Fashion
  • Travel
  • Graphic Design
  • Gastronomy
  • Photography
  • Interviews
  • Visits
  • All Stories
  • Architecture
  • Interiors

Xerolithi summer house in Serifos island by Sinas Architects

The main focus of the design was to create a house that blends in its natural environment. An environment comprised of steep dirt and gravel slopes, dressed with scattered wild thorny bushes, and beautiful large rock formations. Though the most important existing elements, were the short stone retaining walls, locally called xerolithies, created a long time ago for land cultivation purposes. These walls, usually not more than a meter in height formed flat stripes of land parallel to the slope and extended along the entire surface of the hillside.

The site with its xerolithies was the spark of inspiration.

When one thinks of the Greek Islands, stacked white boxes come to mind. The design challenged this morphological preconception, by imagining the main facades of the house as xerolithies, starting low and gradually developing a sufficient height. They move closer and away of the slope and independently from one another, forming spaces in between them.

The traditional bamboo pergola with its wooden raw beams in their natural color can be seen throughout the length of the house, inside and outside. The beams follow the curvy morphology, like vertebrae of a long spinal cord.

Creative
Sinas Architects
Credits

Architectural Design: Sinas Architects

Architects: George Sinas, Maria Mamoura

Interior Design Associate: Olga Ktena

Images © Yiorgos Kordakis

Styling: Anestis Michalis

Featured in our Shop

Explore Our Print Publications

Explore Our Print Publications

Step into the world of The Greek Foundation's print editions, where each one is a carefully curated collection of inspiring visual and textual stories. Discover the essence of Greece through architecture, design, fashion, art, travel and gastronomy. Get your copy and start your journey today.

SHOP NOW
Related Stories
Exterior view of F–topia Villas by ACRE Architecture set within the Mediterranean landscape of Kefalonia
View Post
  • Architecture
  • Interiors

A.C.R.E Architecture embeds pair of summer houses into Kefalonia hillside

View Post
  • Architecture
  • Interiors

Brick, tiles and exposed metal define Dyo Exi Deka café-bar by KARN studio

View of the open-plan kitchen and living area with wood cabinetry and stainless steel countertop
View Post
  • Architecture
  • Interiors

Compact Athens house updated with minimal gestures by So Far Studio

Interior view of FAI restaurant in Veroia with curved walls, terrazzo flooring and central open kitchen
View Post
  • Interiors

Open kitchen anchors minimalist FAI restaurant by Chrysanthi Karta in Veroia

Exterior view of Root Cabin by Kasawoo set among vineyards and olive trees on Zakynthos
View Post
  • Architecture
  • Interiors

Kasawoo designs compact timber cabin in rural Zakynthos landscape

View of 1920s Cretan stone house topped with lightweight contemporary addition
View Post
  • Architecture
  • Interiors

Georgina Andrei layers history and light in Cretan stone house extension

  • Architecture
  • Interiors
  • Design
  • Art
  • Fashion
  • Travel
  • Graphic Design
  • Gastronomy
  • Photography
  • Interviews
  • Visits
  • All Stories
  • Shop
  • About
  • Submit
  • Creatives
  • Stockists
  • Contact
  • Terms
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Spotify

Join our newsletter

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}

Join our newsletter