K-Studio pairs stone with concrete for Greek holiday home

Vertical stone walls intersect with horizontal concrete planes to frame the rooms and terraces of the Southwand House holiday home designed by K-Studio in the Greek region of Messinia.

Located in Navarino Dunes, a resort area in Costa Navarino, Southwand House was designed by the Athens-based studio as a vacation home for a family.

The architects drew reference from the stone "tower houses" of the surrounding region.

The monumental walls of stone, all sourced from nearby quarries, are exposed both inside and out.

These rough-hewn vertical elements provide a striking contrast with the smooth concrete roof slabs, resulting in a house that feels modernist yet also suits its setting.

"The woven interplay of these horizontal and vertical linear elements creates multiple conditions that blur outlines, lend the feeling of outdoor lightness to the indoors, and the sense of protection to the outdoors in a seamless transition of spaces," said K-Studio.

The building sits on a linear plot extending north to south, with a sea view to the southwest, an olive grove to the north and a golf course to the southeast.

A courtyard forms the heart of the house, with an established olive tree growing in its centre.

This neatly divides the floor plan into two halves, with communal living spaces on the east side, and four bedrooms located on the west side and the first floor.

The layout incorporates both indoor and outdoor spaces. K-Studio wanted to make it possible for all activities to be either inside or outside, including cooking, showering, lounging and exercising.

"We were inspired by the complex growth of folk architecture in Messinia, with its organically complex arrays of irregularly-shaped stone volumes, among which emerge piazzas, courtyards and 'kalderimis'," said the studio.

"We invented a system of well-defined orthogonal modules that, when placed against each other, create intricate relationships in the form of negative spaces, courtyards and passages."

"When this growth reaches the scale of a village, life streams spontaneously through these in-between spaces," the studio continued.

The building opens up at its southern end, where the living and dining room and the adjacent bedroom both open out to different terraces.

A swimming pool wraps both outdoor spaces and also extends out towards the view. The base of the pool is stepped, allowing for a mix of depths.

Southwand House is the latest in a series of projects that K Studio, founded by brothers Dimitris and Konstantinos Karampatakis, has designed for scenic locations across Greece.

Others include Villa Mandra in Mykonos, the Manna hotel in Arcadia and the Liknon visitor centre in Samos.

The name, Southwand, refers to "the occasional habit of enjoying the warmth of a rare sunny day by resting against a south-looking wall", according to K-Studio.

"Southwand House is the expression of an ever-active model of living," added the studio.

"In harmony both with its surroundings and its residents, it aspires to become a haven of good times, in contact with nature and a circle of beloved friends & family."

The photography is by Ana Santl.

Project credits

Architect: K-Studio
Design team: Dimitris Karampatakis, Alexis Chortogiannis, Achilleas Pliakos, Artemis Merkourea, Thibaud Stelmaszyk, Dimitra Pavlakou, Dimitris Giannelos, Stevi Meletsi, Katerina Saraptzian, Alexandra Zachariadi, Lila Simou, Trisha van der Merwe
Landscape designer: H Pangalou & Associates Landscape Architects
Planning consultant: DS-Design
Structural consultant: Liontos & Associates
Mechanical engineer: ConAP
Lighting designer: IFI Lighting
Acoustic engineer: G & N Schubert Consultants
Sound consultant: Athens Pro Audio
Technical design ICW: Dimitris Sotiropoulos, Giorgos Dimitrakopoulos
Main contractor: Tomec
Metal works: QOOP
Wood works: Bahramis
Bespoke furniture: Furniture Gallery, Bahramis
Window/door frames: Vertical (Orama, Exalco)
Fabrics: Vagenas
Bespoke lighting: Melina Xenaki, Psarrakos
Stoneworks: Delta Marbles
Pool tiles: Papapolitis
Claustra: 12 Concept

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