Breaking away from the typical “white houses” stereotype in Greek architecture, Sina Architects embraced two traditional stone walls called “Xerolithies” to create winding exterior spaces for their residential project in Serifos. Inside, they incorporated a traditional Greek wooden pergola structure, seamlessly integrating the cabin into the rocky mountainside.
The design’s primary goal was to create a house that harmonizes with its natural surroundings.
The site features steep slopes of soil and gravel, scattered with wild thorns and striking rock formations.
A key existing feature of the area is the short stone retaining walls, known locally as “Xerolithies,” originally built long ago for cultivation purposes.
When people envision the Greek archipelago and its architecture, they often picture scattered white structures. This project challenges that stereotype by imagining the house’s main exterior walls as extensions of the “Xerolithies” stone walls.
The stone walls rise from a low point and gradually develop into a house of significant height.
The front and rear walls gently converge and diverge independently, creating a unique space between them.
To support this design, all house functions are arranged sequentially, resulting in a long and narrow layout.
The walls’ lightness evokes the winds of the Cycladic Islands, resembling a ribbon fluttering in the sky.
To further blend with the landscape, the roof is covered with soil and vegetation that mimic the natural terrain.
This treatment renders the house nearly invisible, especially from behind or at a distance.
Another defining feature of rural Cycladic homes is a wooden structure made from thick, raw, smooth beams and bamboo-wrapped columns, left in their natural tones.
This same construction technique appears on the interior ceilings, following traditional roof-building methods.
This unique feature is integrated throughout the building, both inside and out. The supporting beams are not placed parallel but follow the house’s curved form, resembling vertebrae along a spine.
Bamboo is woven onto these beams in a fishbone pattern, creating striking shadow textures that enhance the aesthetic.
The doors and windows are crafted from simple, light olive-colored wood. The main exterior walls are built from stone without plaster, reflecting traditional styles and techniques.
Project Information
Architect: Sina Architects
Area: 245 square meters
Year: 2019
Photography: Yiorgos Kordakis
Manufacturers: Dedon, Fantini, Maruni Wood Industry, Normann Copenhagen, Patiris, Valdama, Maruni, Myran
Architectural Design: George Sina, Maria Mamoura
Interior Design: Olga Ktena, George Sina
Location: Serifos, Greece
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